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Heart 1999;81:239-244; doi:10.1136/hrt.81.3.239
Copyright © 1999 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & British Cardiovascular Society
Heart 1999;81:239-244 ( March )

Chlamydia pneumoniae antibodies are associated with an atherogenic lipid profile

L J Murray,a D P J O'Reilly,c G M L Ong,b C O'Neill,b A E Evans,a K B Bamfordb

a Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, The Queen's University of Belfast, Mulhouse Building, Institute of Clinical Science, Grosvenor Road, Belfast BT12 6BJ, UK, b Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, The Queen's University of Belfast, c Health and Social Care Research Unit, The Queen's University of Belfast

Correspondence to: Dr Murray. email: l.murray{at}qub.ac.uk


Accepted for publication 14 September 1998

OBJECTIVE---To determine, within a representative population group of men and women, whether alteration of the lipid profile might underlie the reported association between Chlamydia pneumoniae and ischaemic heart disease.
DESIGN AND SETTING---Cross sectional survey in an area with a high incidence of ischaemic heart disease.
SUBJECTS---400 randomly selected participants in the World Health Organisation MONICA project's third population survey in Northern Ireland.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES---Stored sera were examined by microimmunofluorescence for IgG antibodies to C pneumoniae at a dilution of 1 in 64. Mean total and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were compared between seropositive and seronegative individuals with adjustment for age, measures of socioeconomic status, smoking habit, alcohol consumption, body mass index, and the season during which blood had been taken.
RESULTS---In seropositive men, adjusted mean serum total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol were 0.5 mmol/l (9.2%) higher and 0.11 mmol/l (9.3%) lower, respectively, than in seronegative men. Differences in women did not achieve statistical significance, but both total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol were higher (3.6% and 5.8%, respectively) in seropositive than in seronegative individuals.
CONCLUSIONS---There is serological evidence that C pneumoniae infection is associated with an atherogenic lipid profile in men. Altered lipid levels may underlie the association between C pneumoniae and ischaemic heart disease.

Keywords: epidemiology; lipids; cholesterol; ischaemic heart disease

© 1999 by Heart
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