Seroprevalence of Chlamdophila pneumoniae antibodies and pre-eclampsia: Is there any link

Objectives: To find out whether there is any link between pre-eclampsia and seroprevalence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies to Chlamydophila pneumoniae. Setting: A Tertiary Hospital in Lagos/Nigeria Maternal and Method: One hundred and eleven parturient, comprising 49 women with and n=62 women without pre-eclampsia, were compared in a cross-sectional fashion. In these two groups, peripheral blood was obtained for Chlamydophila pneumomiae antibodies which were measured using a solid-phase enzyme immunoassay. The secondary outcome measures were maternal diastolic blood pressure, prenatal morbidity and mortality. The patients were evenly matched for age and parity. Result: A prevalence rate of 66.7% was found for seropositivity to Chlamydophila pneumoniae antibodies. Pregnant women with pre-eclampsia were more commonly seropositive for antibodies to Chlamydophila pneumoniae than their normotensive counterparts (Odds Ratio 0.40; 95% Confidence Interval 0.16, 0.99). Higher antibody titres were found in parous women with a previous history of pre-eclampsia compared with those without a previous history (p=0.0308). There was no significant association between antibody concentration and pregnancy outcome (p>0.05). Conclusion: The data from this study suggest a link between the presence of Chlamydophila pneumoniae antibodies and pre-eclampsia.