Myocardial Ischemia and Reperfusion Leads to Transient CD8 Immune Deficiency and Accelerated Immunosenescence in CMV-Seropositive Patients

Rationale:There is mounting evidence of a higher incidence of coronary heart disease in cytomegalovirus-seropositive individuals. Objective:The aim of this study was to investigate whether acute myocardial infarction triggers an inflammatory T-cell response that might lead to accelerated immunosenescence in cytomegalovirus-seropositive patients. Methods and Results:Thirty-four patients with acute myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention were longitudinally studied within 3 months after reperfusion (Cohort A). In addition, 54 patients with acute myocardial infarction and chronic myocardial infarction were analyzed in a cross-sectional study (Cohort B). Cytomegalovirus-seropositive patients demonstrated a greater fall in the concentration of terminally differentiated CD8 effector memory T cells (TEMRA) in peripheral blood during the first 30 minutes of reperfusion compared with cytomegalovirus-seronegative patients (−192 versus −63 cells/μL; P=0.008), correlating with the ...