Chlamydia pneumoniae exposure and inflammatory markers in acute coronary syndrome (CIMACS)

Abstract Previous studies have shown higher levels of Chlamydia pneumoniae ( C. pneumoniae , CP) antibody titers (CPIgG), C-reactive protein (CRP), and fibrinogen in patients with coronary artery disease. The role of these infectious and inflammatory markers in precipitating acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is unclear. We conducted a cross-sectional study on patients (n = 830, mean age 63 ± 15 years, 57% male) admitted to the chest pain center of our institution. The differences in the CPIgG, CRP, and fibrinogen levels in patients who were diagnosed with ACS versus those who were not (non-ACS) were evaluated. CPIgG titers tended to be higher in the ACS group than in the non-ACS group. However, when different titers were used to define seropositivity, the difference achieved statistical significance only at the titer of ≥1:1,024 (35% vs 26%, p = 0.004). CRP (median 0.48 vs 0.33 mg/dl, p 9 /L, p