Hindawi Publishing Corporation The Scientific World Journal Volume 2013, Article ID 212450, 6 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/212450
Clinical Study Chlamydia pneumoniae Antibodies and C-Reactive Protein Levels in Patients with Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms M. A. Sharif,1 D. A. McDowell,2 and S. A. Badger1 1 2
Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Belfast City Hospital, Belfast BT9 7AB, UK School of Health Sciences, University of Ulster, Shore Road, Newtownabbey BT37 0QB, UK
Correspondence should be addressed to M. A. Sharif;
[email protected] Received 14 August 2013; Accepted 19 September 2013 Academic Editors: J. Boman, P. Quax, and E. Shagdarsuren Copyright © 2013 M. A. Sharif et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Introduction. The study aim was to assess the relationship between the presence of antibodies to Chlamydia pneumoniae and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) incidence. Patients and Methods. Consecutive AAA patients and AAA-free controls were recruited prospectively. Serum samples from both groups were examined to determine Immunoglobulin (Ig) A and IgG titres against Chlamydia pneumoniae by ELISA and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations. Results were expressed as mean (SD) or median (IQR) and compared using 𝜒2 and Mann-Whitney 𝑈 tests. A 𝑃 value of 5.5 cm) according to the maximum diameter. Informed consent was obtained in writing from all participants. Separate blood samples were collected for enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and C-reactive protein assay (CRP) in clot activator tubes (Vacutainer, MD367954, MidMeds Limited, Unit 71, Hillgrove Business Park, UK). A medical questionnaire was completed for all the recruited participants, including a detailed assessment of cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, smoking status, coronary artery disease (CAD, defined as evidence of previous myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass grafting, percutaneous coronary intervention, or medical treatment for angina), cerebrovascular accident (CVA, defined as evidence of either a previous stroke or transient ischemic attack), and peripheral arterial disease (PAD, defined as an ankle brachial pressure index (ABPI) of
