Acute coronary syndrome and chronic infection in the Cork coronary care case-control study.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the association between chronic infection and cumulative burden of infection and acute coronary syndrome.


METHODS
The 5C (Cork coronary care case-control) study was a community based case-control study. Patients and controls underwent a standard physical examination and had blood samples taken for serological analysis for Helicobacter pylori (IgG), Chlamydia pneumoniae (IgA, IgM, and IgG), cytomegalovirus (IgG), and herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (IgG).


METHODS
Patients were recruited from four hospitals in Cork City and Mallow Town. Controls, individually matched on age and sex, were selected by incident density sampling from the same general practices as the referent case.


METHODS
Age and sex adjusted and fully adjusted odds ratios for acute coronary syndrome by seropositivity and by increasing number of infections.


RESULTS
Cases and controls did not differ significantly in seropositivity to C pneumoniae, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex viruses, and H pylori. In unconditional logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, waist to hip ratio, smoking, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and social class there was no evidence of an increasing risk for acute coronary syndrome with increasing burden of infection.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings do not support an association between specific infectious agents and acute coronary syndrome and do not provide evidence of a burden of infection effect.
Sheehan
J
J
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Kearney
P M
PM
Sullivan
S O
SO
Mongan
C
C
Kelly
E
E
Perry
I J
IJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000150:complications*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D023521:Chlamydophila Infections / Q000150:complications; D016993:Chlamydophila pneumoniae; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000821:virology; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000150:complications*