Smoking, season, and detection of <it>chlamydia pneumoniae</it> DNA in clinically stable COPD patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The prevalence and role of <it>Chlamydia pneumoniae</it> in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remain unclear.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were obtained from 100 outpatients with smoking-related, clinically stable COPD, and induced sputum was obtained in 62 patients.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Patients had mean age (standard deviation) of 65.8 (10.7) years, mean forced expiratory volume in one second of 1.34 (0.61) L, and 61 (61.0%) were male. <it>C. pneumoniae</it> nucleic acids were detected by nested polymerase chain reaction in 27 (27.0%). Current smoking (odds ratio {OR} = 2.6, 95% confidence interval {CI}: 1.1, 6.6, P = 0.04), season (November to April) (OR = 3.6, 95% CI: 1.4, 9.2, P = 0.007), and chronic sputum production (OR = 6.4, 95% CI: 1.8, 23.2, P = 0.005) were associated with detection of <it>C. pneumoniae</it> DNA.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Prospective studies are needed to examine the role of <it>C. pneumoniae</it> nucleic acid detection in COPD disease symptoms and progression.</p>

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC-ND

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