University of Iceland, Faculty of Medicine, Reykjavik, Iceland.
BMC Pulm Med. 2010 Aug 25;10:44. doi: 10.1186/1471-2466-10-44.
Chlamydia pneumoniae (C pn) infection causes an acute inflammation in the respiratory system that may become persistent, but little is known about the long-term respiratory effects of C pn infections.
To estimate the long term respiratory effects of C pn with change in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) as a main outcome variable.
The study comprised of 1109 subjects (500 men and 609 women, mean age 28 ± 6 years) that participated in the Reykjavik Heart Study of the Young. Spirometry and blood samples for measurements of IgG antibodies for C pn were done at inclusion and at the end of the follow-up period (mean follow-up time 27 ± 4 years).
Having IgG against C pn at both examinations was significantly associated to a larger decrease in FEV1 (6 mL/year) and FVC (7 mL/year) in women but not in men. In women the association between C pn and larger FEV1 decline was only found in women that smoked at baseline where having C pn IgG was associated with 10 mL/year decline compared to smokers without C pn IgG. These results were still significant after adjustment for age, smoking and change in body weight.
Our results indicate that persistent C pn serology is related to increased decline in lung function in women but not in men. This effect was, however, primarily found in smoking women. This study is a further indication that the pathophysiological process leading to lung impairment may differ between men and women.
肺炎衣原体（C pn）感染会导致呼吸系统急性炎症，且该炎症可能持续存在，但人们对于 C pn 感染的长期呼吸道影响知之甚少。
以用力呼气量第一秒（FEV1）和用力肺活量（FVC）的变化作为主要观察变量，评估 C pn 感染的长期呼吸道影响。
该研究纳入了 1109 名受试者（500 名男性和 609 名女性，平均年龄 28 ± 6 岁），他们参加了雷克雅未克青年人心脏研究。在纳入时和随访期末（平均随访时间 27 ± 4 年）进行了肺量测定和血液样本采集，以检测针对 C pn 的 IgG 抗体。
在两次检查中均存在针对 C pn 的 IgG 与女性的 FEV1（6 毫升/年）和 FVC（7 毫升/年）下降幅度更大相关，但与男性无关。在女性中，仅在基线吸烟的女性中，C pn 与更大的 FEV1 下降之间存在关联，与不携带 C pn IgG 的吸烟者相比，携带 C pn IgG 的吸烟者的 FEV1 每年下降 10 毫升。这些结果在调整年龄、吸烟和体重变化后仍然具有统计学意义。
我们的研究结果表明，持续的 C pn 血清学与女性肺功能下降增加有关，但与男性无关。然而，这种影响主要发生在吸烟的女性中。本研究进一步表明，导致肺损伤的病理生理过程可能在男性和女性之间存在差异。
