Preeclamptic toxemia in chlamydia pneumoniae seropositive pregnant women

ABSTRACT

Women who develop preeclampsia may have an intense inflammatory response which may be caused by a concurrent or preceding inflammatory stimulus such as infection. This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that there is an association between Chlarnydia pneumoniae [C.pneumoniae] immunoglobulin [Ig] G seropositivity and development of preeclampsia in pregnant women. A prospective observational study was carried out on 355 healthy pregnant women attending the outpatient clinic at Ain Shams University Maternity Hospital. All women were normotensive primigravidae after 20 weeks of gestation. A single venous blood sample was collected from each of these women and tested for the presence of C.pneumoniae specific IgG antibodies using microimmunofluorescence technique [MIF]. Subsequently, women were classified as either seropositive or seronegative. Women in both groups were followed-up to detect the development of preeclampsia. A total of 248 women continued follow-up till delivery and were enrolled in the study. Seropositive group had a higher incidence of development of preeclampsia; 10% [11 cases developed preeclampsia of 107 seropositive women], compared to seronegative group; 2.8% [4 cases of 141,] and this difference was statistically significant using Chi-square test [p<0.05]. The longitudinal data of this study suggest a possible association between C.pneurnoniae seropositivity and preeclampsia and also support the evidence on infection hypothesis for the development of preeclampsia