J. Thomas Grayston, M.D., professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington Health Sciences Center in Seattle and author of an editorial published in conjunction with the journal article, agrees that any conclusions based on research completed thus far would be premature.
"Over 20 reports have appeared demonstrating the presence of Chlamydia pneumoniae in atherosclerotic plaques and indicating an association between these organisms and atherosclerosis," Grayston says. "But the evidence we have so far doesn't prove that Chlamydia pneumoniae causes atherosclerosis. Within a few years, the results of two large-scale, long-term studies now going on, each involving several thousand patients, may tell us how important this connection really is."
In the meantime, Grayston adds, the Utah-based trial is contributing valuable information, by showing that the concentrations of well-established inflammation markers may be reduced in patients receiving antibiotic pills and by revealing that earlier studies of antibiotics and heart disease may have overstated the early benefits of antibiotic therapy.
"The important thing is that it's much too early to start treating any heart patients with antibiotics," Grayston says. "The results of large clinical trials now underway will tell whether some of the patients may benefit from antibiotics or if we should lay this whole idea to rest."
Although Chlamydia pneumoniae was not even identified as a separate organism until 1986, it is now known to be the third-leading cause of pneumonia and bronchitis. It is responsible for about 10 percent of all cases of pneumonia, but millions of people also carry it for long periods in a dormant state.
"It is not unreasonable to say that some people carry this organism for
the rest of their lives following a respiratory infection," Grayston notes, "and
it's amazingly widespread among the general populati
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Contact: Carole Bullock
caroleb@heart.org
214-706-1279
American Heart Association
30-Mar-1999