title: Increased aortic intima-media thickness in 11-year-old healthy children with persistent Chlamydia pneumoniae seropositivity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The relationship between Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn) infection and arterial measures of preclinical atherosclerosis has remained controversial. Because atherogenesis begins in early life, we examined whether carotid and aortic intima-media thickness (IMT) and brachial artery endothelial function are associated with Cpn seropositivity in children.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cpn-specific IgG and IgA antibodies were assessed by enzyme immunoassay in 199 healthy children followed-up annually from 7 to 11 years of age. Carotid (cIMT) and aortic IMT (aIMT), and brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) were measured in 137 of the 199 children at the age of 11 years using high-resolution ultrasound. Children with persistent IgG and/or IgA seropositivity to Cpn had significantly increased aIMT compared with seronegative children (IgG< or =45 and IgA< or =12 enzyme immunounits) or children with transient Cpn seropositivity (seronegative, 0.496 [0.054]; transient, 0.494 [0.061]; and persistent, 0.532 [0.086] mm; P<0.05 for trend). This trend was not explained by traditional atherosclerotic risk factors or pubertal stage. cIMT and FMD were not associated with Cpn seropositivity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Eleven-year-old children with persistent Cpn seropositivity show increased aIMT but not cIMT, suggesting that Cpn may affect the aortic wall, the site where the earliest atherosclerotic lesions are known to occur, in otherwise healthy children.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. iina.volanen@utu.fi
authors.forename: Iina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Volanen
authors.forename: Mikko J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Järvisalo
authors.forename: Raija
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vainionpää
authors.forename: Martti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arffman
authors.forename: Katariina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kallio
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Anglé
authors.forename: Tapani
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rönnemaa
authors.forename: Jorma
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Viikari
authors.forename: Jukka
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marniemi
authors.forename: Olli T
authors.initials: OT
authors.lastname: Raitakari
authors.forename: Olli
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Simell
mesh_terms: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000502:physiology; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000473:pathology; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D023521:Chlamydophila Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016993:Chlamydophila pneumoniae / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial