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

Purpose: In this case-control study, we investigated whether the chronic infectious agents; Chlamydia pneumoniae, Helicobacter pylori, cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus, are an independent risk factors in ischemic stroke and in subtypes of the ischemic stroke, and also whether the risk of ischemic stroke increases with the increased number of the infectious agents.Materials and Methods: Seventy-two patients over 40 years old with acute ischemic stroke and as a control group 60 people over 40 years old who selected randomly and neither had an ischemic stroke nor transient ischemic stroke were studied. Patients were investigated by diveded in five subtypes according to the TOAST (The trial of Org. 10172 for Acute Stroke Treatment) stroke subtype classification. Cytomegalovirus immunoglobuline-G (IgG), Helicobacter pylori IgG, Epstein-Barr virus IgG and Chlamydia pneumoniae IgG were measured in the serum of both the patient and the control groups with the automatic reader according to the working principles of the concerning kits.Results: Chlamydia pneumoniae IgG was found seropositive in 76% of the patients in atherotrombotic stroke subtype, and 48% of the control group and it was statistically significant (p=0,035). In the analysis of the results of chronic infectious agents effect on the acute ischemic stroke showed that the ischemic stroke risk increased 3,18 times more with the collusion of two chronic infectious agents (Chlamydia pneumoniae IgG and Epstein-Barr virus IgG), and 2.5 times more with the collusion of four chronic infectious agents (Chlamydia pneumoniae IgG, Helicobacter pylori IgG, Epstein-Barr virus IgG and Cytomegalovirus IgG).Conclusion: Chronic Chlamydia pneumoniae infection is itself an independent risk factor in atherothrombotic stroke subtype and as the number of the chronic infection increases, the risk of the ischemic stroke increases as well.Key words: Subtypes of ischemic stroke, stroke risk factors, atherosclerosis, chronic infections, Chlamydia pneumoniae, Helicobacter pylori, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus