Preeclampsia and Chlamydia Pneumoniae: Is There a Link?

Abstract

Several parallels exist between preeclampsia and atherosclerosis. Both are multifactorial diseases that share risk factors such as obesity, insulin resistance, lipid abnormalities, and elevated serum homocysteine. There are also similarities in the biochemical changes seen in both diseases, including elevated serum triglycerides, decreased HDL cholesterol and enhanced formation of small, dense LDL particles as well as vascular atherosclerotic lesions. Chronic infection with Chlamydia pneumoniae has been linked to coronary artery disease. This study evaluated a possible link between the incidence of preeclampsia and infection with C. pneumoniae by examining the rate of seropositivity in 81 women with preeclampsia, and 206 women with normal pregnancies. Although our data confirmed well-known risk factors for preeclampsia such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, we found no difference in the rate of seropositivity between preeclampsia and normal pregnancy. On the contrary, the presence of chlamydial antibodies was lower in preeclampsia. Multiparous women with preeclampsia showed a significantly lower rate of seropositivity than multiparous normal women and nulliparous preeclamptics. In addition, women with a history of preeclampsia who developed preeclampsia in the current pregnancy also had a significantly lower rate of seropositivity.

Maternal SerumChlamydia PneumoniaeAntibodies and CRP Levels in Women with Preeclampsia and Gestational Hypertension

“…In addition, Goulis and colleagues (16) showed that women with history of preeclampsia had higher titres of all classes of C. pneumoniae antibodies than women with previous normotensive pregnancy. However, in our study as well as in two others, C. pneumoniae antibodies were not more common in women with preeclampsia than in women with normal pregnancies (17,18). The application of highly sensitive assays (hsCRP) for the measurement of slightly elevated CRP levels has changed our view of the role of CRP as a marker of acute infection and tissue injury.…”

“…pneumoniae infection has been linked to essential hypertension (13,14), and a few reports on the association of C. pneumoniae antibodies with preeclampsia have also been published. The results on the presence of elevated C. pneumoniae antibody levels in preeclampsia have been contradictory (15)(16)(17)(18). In addition, both elevated cytomegalovirus and C. pneumoniae antibodies have been detected in women with early onset preeclampsia (6).…”

Association ofHelicobacter pyloriinfection with systemic inflammation in preeclampsia

“…Although Aral et al [3] and Heine et al [4] demonstrated that pregnant women with preeclampsia had higher levels of IgG antibody to Chlamydia pneumonia than normotensive pregnant women, no association was found between Chlamydia pneumonia and preeclampsia among primiparous women in a prospective study by Goulis et al [12]. Moreover, Raynor et al [13] found no significant difference in the rate of Chlamydia pneumonia seropositivity between preeclampsia and normal pregnancy. There was no significant difference in the seroprevalence of IgM and IgG antibodies to Chlamydia pneumonia between women with preeclampsia and normotensive ones in our study.…”

Demystifying Animal Models of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes: Touching Bench and Bedside

“…While the basic cause of the disease is as yet unknown, multiple hypotheses exist. These include failure of placentation 112 and thus reduced utero-placental perfusion, intolerance to volume expansion generated by pregnancy 113 , infection 114 and inflammation 115 . It is hotly debated as to whether failed placentation is caused or a by-product of broken maternal immune tolerance 116, 117 .…”