title: Cytomegalovirus infection and atherogenesis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Experimental studies and clinical observations indicate the importance of active CMV infection in the development of atherosclerosis. Our research constituted an attempt to evaluate the components of lipid metabolism (total cholesterol and its fractions, triglycerides) in children with active CMV infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  The research involved 45 children with active primary or secondary CMV infection. The diagnosis was established by measuring anti-CMV serum antibodies (IgM and IgG) using the Enzyme-Linked Fluorescent Assay (ELFA) technique, and by detecting CMV-DNA using the PCR technique. On the basis of diagnostic tests, the children were allocated to one of two groups. The first group of 15 children manifested primary active infection with CMV. The other group consisted of 30 children diagnosed with secondary active CMV infection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the first group, the mean values of the serum lipid profile were as follows: total cholesterol--142 +/- 32.9 mg/dl; HDL-cholesterol:-- 23.4 +/- 8.6 mg/dl; LDL-cholesterol--97.8 +/- 30.9 mg/dl; triglycerides--83 +/- 15.5 mg/dl. In the second group of children, the mean values of serum lipid profile were as follows: total cholesterol-- 142.5 +/- 44.2 mg/dl; HDL-cholesterol--21.4 +/- 10.8 mg/dl, LDL-cholesterol--87.1 +/- 35.3 mg/dl; triglycerides--101.7 +/- 31.2 mg/dl. In all these children, the values of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides conformed to published norms, while HDL-cholesterol was significantly below normal.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results we obtained point to dyslipidemia in the course of active CMV infection, which may be of pathogenetic significance at any stage of atherogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, Karol Marcinkowski University of Medical Sciences, Wieniawskiego 3, 67-112 Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szkaradkiewicz
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bogaczyńska-Staniewicz
authors.forename: Lech
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Torliński
authors.forename: Marzena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wal
mesh_terms: D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol