[Relationship between infection burden and atherosclerosis and plaque feature].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the relationship between infection burden and coronary atherosclerosis and the plaque feature.


METHODS
One hundred and eighty two patients underwent coronary angiography in Zhongshan Hospital from 2002 - 2003. Atherosclerosis and vulnerable plaque were determined by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). Seropositivity of cytomegalovirus, helicobacter pylori, chlamydia pneumonia, hepatitis B virus, EB virus, CoxB virus, influenza A virus, influenza B virus and mycobacterium tuberculosis were determined by ELISA. The serum hs-CRP was detected by Dade Behring prospect (Immuno-nehelomitery). Patients were divided into three groups according to the pathogen burden: group A, n <or= 3, group B, n = 4 - 5 and group C, n >or= 6.


RESULTS
The pathogen burden was independent of the C-reactive protein level. Increasing pathogen burden was significantly associated with increasing atherosclerosis risk, the prevalence of atherosclerosis was 44.4%, 70.6% and 76.7% in group A, B and C. The risk associated with elevated pathogen burden was much higher when CRP was also elevated (> 5.0 mg/L) (43.8%, 70.0%, 70.8%) vs (45.5%, 63.7%, 96.8%). The positively of vulnerable plaque increased significantly when the pathogen burden was high (n > 5) (33.3%, 32.4% and 51.7% P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggested that infection burden was associated with prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis, and it was particularly important when C-reactive protein was elevated. The high level infection burden could predict vulnerable plaque.
Niu
Yu-hong
YH
Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
Xu
Cong-feng
CF
Shi
Jian-hui
JH
Ge
Jun-bo
JB
D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D016993:Chlamydophila pneumoniae; D003587:Cytomegalovirus; D005260:Female; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human; D006801:Humans; D009981:Influenza B virus; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019562:Viral Load
D002097:C-Reactive Protein