title: Association between Mycoplasma pneumonia and increased risk of ischemic stroke: a nationwide study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Infections have been hypothesized to play a role in vascular disease. The association between Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) infection and ischemic stroke remained undetermined.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1094 patients with MP infection were enrolled as the study group and compared with 5168 sex-, age-, and comorbidity-matched subjects without MP, to be followed up prospectively from January 2003 to December 2007 for development of ischemic stroke.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During a maximum 5-year follow-up period, 49 patients with ischemic stroke were identified. Subjects with MP infection were significantly associated with increased risk of ischemic stroke compared with controls (1.10% versus 0.72%, respectively; P=0.01). The logrank test showed that patients with MP had significantly higher incidence of stroke development than did those without MP (P=0.046). After Cox model adjustment for risk factors and comorbidities, MP infection was still independently associated with increased risk of stroke (hazard ratio [HR], 2.07; 95% CI, 1.05-4.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that MP infection is independently associated with risk of subsequent ischemic stroke development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Healthcare and Management Center, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, and National Yang-Ming University, No 201, Sec 2, Shih-Pai Road, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chia-Hung
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: Chin-Chou
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Wan-Leong
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Yu-Chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Tzeng-Ji
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Shing-Jong
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Jaw-Wen
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hsin-Bang
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Leu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011019:Pneumonia, Mycoplasma / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology