Acute coronary syndrome and chronic infection in the Cork coronary care case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between chronic infection and cumulative burden of infection and acute coronary syndrome. DESIGN: The 5C (Cork coronary care case-control) study was a community based case-control study. Patients and controls underwent a standard physical examination and had blood samples taken for serological analysis for Helicobacter pylori (IgG), Chlamydia pneumoniae (IgA, IgM, and IgG), cytomegalovirus (IgG), and herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (IgG). SETTING: Patients were recruited from four hospitals in Cork City and Mallow Town. Controls, individually matched on age and sex, were selected by incident density sampling from the same general practices as the referent case. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Age and sex adjusted and fully adjusted odds ratios for acute coronary syndrome by seropositivity and by increasing number of infections. RESULTS: Cases and controls did not differ significantly in seropositivity to C pneumoniae, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex viruses, and H pylori. In unconditional logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, waist to hip ratio, smoking, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and social class there was no evidence of an increasing risk for acute coronary syndrome with increasing burden of infection. CONCLUSIONS: The findings do not support an association between specific infectious agents and acute coronary syndrome and do not provide evidence of a burden of infection effect.

The physical activity of children: a study of 1,602 Irish schoolchildren aged 11-12 years.

The adoption of a physically active lifestyle is widely believed to be a component of preventive medicine best initiated in childhood. Information on the factors that influence activity behaviour is prerequisite to effective health promotion. Data were collected from a cohort of preadolescent children in 5th and 6th classes of 62 Irish national primary school. 1,602 children were interviewed, 810 girls and 792 boys. Gender differences in recreational activity were significant (p <.0001), and a significant decline was observed in girls' activity from 5th to 6th class (p<.0001). Evidence of social class effect on behaviour was not convincing. In regression analysis, primary PE (B,0.016, 95% CI 0.012 to 0.021, p <.0001). gender (B, -.209, 95% CI -.277 to -.141, p < .0001), sports club membership (B,.201, 95% CI .131 to .272, p < .0001), and social integration status (B, .039, 95% CI .024 to .055, p < .0001) were identified as significant independent predictors of recreational activity. Parental support and physical self-perception were weak predictors. Findings suggest that the primary school plays an important role in the socialisation of children into active lifestyles.