Are some chronic infections probable risk factors for acute ischemic stroke?

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether chronic infectious agents-Chlamydia pneumoniae, Helicobacter pylori, cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus-were independent risk factors in ischemic stroke and in subtypes of the ischemic stroke and whether co-infection with more than one agent had an effect on the risk of ischemic stroke. Material and Methods: Seventy-two patients over the age of 40 with acute ischemic stroke and 60 age-matched control subjects without ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack were selected randomly. Patients were divided into five subtypes according to TOAST (The trial of Org. 10172 for Acute Stroke Treatment). Chlamydia pneumoniae IgG, Helicobacter pylori IgG, cytomegalovirus IgG and Epstein-Barr virus IgG were measured in patient and control serums. Results: Suptypes of ischemic stroke were as follows; atherothrombotic stroke 35%, cardioembolic 32%, undefined 18% and small-vessel disease 15%. Only C.pneumoniae seropositivity was higher in patients compared to control subjects (p=0.05). The difference for other chronic infections was not significant. Conclusion: Only coinfection with four agents was significantly higher among patients compared to controls (p=0.029). Co-infection with four agents increased the risk of stroke 2.5-fold. The rates of infection were similar in stroke subtypes. © 2013 by Türkiye Klinikleri.