Chlamydia pneumoniaeand Other Risk Factors for Atherosclerosis
Open Access
- 1 June 2000
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in The Journal of Infectious Diseases
- Vol. 181 (s3) , S414-S416
- https://doi.org/10.1086/315624
Abstract
Seroepidemiologic studies have provided information on the association of Chlamydia pneumoniae with the classical risk factors of coronary heart disease (CHD). C. pneumoniae infections are more common in smokers than in nonsmokers, suggesting that smoking predisposes to the development of chronic infection. Infections may also affect lipid metabolism. In persons with acute pneumonia caused by C. pneumoniae, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) values are lower and triglyceride values higher than seen in pneumonia caused by viruses and other bacteria. Furthermore, chronic C. pneumoniae infection is associated with elevated triglyceride and lowered HDL levels in healthy Finnish men. Recent studies also suggest that chronic C. pneumoniae infection considerably enhances the effect of the metabolic syndrome on the CHD risk. Thus, known CHD risk factors may be partly explained by their association with chronic C. pneumoniae infection. Further studies are needed to elucidate the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying these associations.Keywords
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