Seroprevalence of antibodies to Chlamydia pneumoniae in women with preeclampsia.
OBJECTIVE
Preeclampsia shares many risk factors and pathophysiologic features with coronary heart disease. We studied whether, like atherosclerosis, preeclampsia is related to seroprevalence of immunoglobulin (Ig) G antibodies to Chlamydia pneumoniae.


METHODS
Cross-sectional comparisons were made for 37 women with preeclampsia and 37 women with normal pregnancies at term. In these two groups, antibody titers for IgG, IgM, and IgA seroprevalence to C pneumoniae and IgG to Chlamydia trachomatis and Chlamydia psittaci were compared.


RESULTS
Immunoglobulin G antibodies to C pneumoniae at a titer of at least 1:16 were more common in women with preeclampsia (25 of 37) than in women without (15 of 37) (odds ratio 3.1; 95% confidence interval 1.2, 7.9). There were no significant differences in the seroprevalence of IgA or IgM antibodies to C pneumoniae. Women with preeclampsia were also no more likely to have IgG antibodies to C trachomatis or C psittaci.


CONCLUSIONS
Women with preeclampsia had an increased IgG seroprevalence to C pneumoniae but not to C trachomatis or C psittaci. These preliminary data suggest a specific association between infection with C pneumoniae and preeclampsia.
Heine
R Phillip
RP
Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Ness
Roberta B
RB
Roberts
James M
JM
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D023521:Chlamydophila Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016993:Chlamydophila pneumoniae / Q000276:immunology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000032:analysis; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D015995:Prevalence; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M