Antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis and risk for tubal pregnancy.
We performed a case-control study of the effect of exposure to Chlamydia trachomatis on the risk for tubal pregnancy. Sixty women with tubal pregnancies and 60 matched control women with normal second-trimester intrauterine pregnancies were studied. Cases were more likely than controls to have detectable antichlamydial IgG antibodies (82% versus 58%, p less than 0.01) and their mean titers were higher. The prevalence of IgM antibody seropositivity was not different between cases and controls (20% versus 12%, not significant). Compared with women with IgG antibody titers of less than or equal to 1:8 the relative risk for tubal pregnancy for women with titers greater than or equal to 1:128 was 6.6 (95% confidence interval, 2.0 to 21.6). Among women with tubal pregnancies, antichlamydial antibody titers of greater than or equal to 1:128 were significantly associated with pelvic adhesions and inflammatory tubal mucosal damage. Only 17.6% of women with detectable antichlamydial antibody or inflammatory tubal damage reported a history of pelvic inflammatory disease or gonorrhea.
Walters
M D
MD
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio 78284-7836.
Eddy
C A
CA
Gibbs
R S
RS
Schachter
J
J
Holden
A E
AE
Pauerstein
C J
CJ
D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000150:complications; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005831:Genital Diseases, Female / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D011247:Pregnancy; D011274:Pregnancy, Tubal / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D012307:Risk Factors
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G