[Throat infection, neck spinal disease, chest pain and cardiac response: a new clinical syndrome?].
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the characteristics of a new clinical syndrome, including throat infection, neck spinal disease, chest pain and cardiac response.


METHODS
A total of 165 patients with above mentioned symptoms admitted to Tongji hospital from 2003 to 2005 were included in this study and underwent further medical history inquiry, physical examination and laboratory tests. Eighty-five healthy subjects served as controls. Serum myocardial auto-antibodies against beta(1)-adrenoceptor, alpha-myosin heavy chain, M(2)-muscarinic receptor and adenine-nucleotide translocator were detected, inflammatory cytokines, high sensitivity C-reaction protein, serum antibodies against Coxsackie virus-B, cytomegalovirus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae were determined and lymphocyte subclasses were assayed by flow cytometry.


RESULTS
All patients had a complex of four symptoms or tetralogy: (1) persistent throat or upper respiratory tract infection; (2) neck pain; (3) chest pain; (4) chest depression or dyspnea, some of them with anxiety. Anti-myocardial auto-antibodies (AMCA) were present in all patients vs. 8% in controls. TNF-alpha, IL-1 and IL-6 were significantly higher in patients than controls (P < 0.01). CD3(+) and CD4(-)CD8(+) lymphocytes were significantly higher and CD56(+) lymphocytes lower in patients than those in controls (P < 0.01). The ratios of serum pathogen antibodies positive against Coxsackie virus-B, cytomegalovirus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae were all significantly higher in patients than in controls.


CONCLUSIONS
These data led to identification of a persistent respiratory infection-related clinical syndrome, including persistent throat infection, neck spinal lesion, rib cartilage inflammation, symptoms of cardiac depression and dyspnea with or without anxiety.
Zhou
Chang-Qing
CQ
Department of Cardiology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
Yan
Jiang-Tao
JT
Fan
Qiao
Q
Li
Zhou-Ya
ZY
Cianflone
Katherine
K
Wang
Dao-Wen
DW
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000175:diagnosis; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D013577:Syndrome; D055815:Young Adult