title: Seroprevalence of antibodies to Chlamydia pneumoniae in women with preeclampsia.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: R Phillip
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Heine
authors.forename: Roberta B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Ness
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Roberts
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M