Chronic Infection, Chlamydia and Coronary Heart Disease, 1999 Developments in Cardiovascular Medicine Series, Vol. 218

Coronary heart disease (CHD) remains a major cause of human mortality and morbidity worldwide. Classical risk factors for atherosclerosis fail to account fully for the wide variations in CHD prevalence and/or severity between differing populations. The search for hitherto unrecognised risk factors has recently focused on the potential role of chronic inflammation and common infections.
Chronic Infection, Chlamydia and Coronary Heart Disease is the first book to review the wealth of evidence linking various infective agents with CHD, focusing particularly on the proposed pathogenetic role of the main candidate microorganism, Chlamydia pneumoniae.
Written by two leading investigators in the field, the book provides a concise, clearly written and up-to-date account of the diverse lines of evidence - seroepidemiological, pathological, animal and invitro data and clinical antibiotic trials.
The possibility of an infective basis to atherosclerosis and CHD has already attracted much scientific interest. Chronic Infection,Chlamydia and Coronary Heart Disease highlights the key published works on the topic, and concludes with information on existing, ongoing, and future lines of enquiry.

Foreword. Preface. Acknowledgements. List of Figures and Tables. 1. Atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. 2. Associations between infective microorganisms and atherosclerosis. 3. Chlamydia pneumoniae: Natural history, epidemiology and microbiology. 4. Association of Chlamydia pneumoniae with atherosclerosis: The evidence. 5. Association of Chlamydia pneumoniae with atherosclerosis: Potential pathogenetic mechanisms. 6. Clinical antibiotic trials in coronary heart disease. 7. A perspective on Chlamydia pneumoniae and coronary heart disease. Index.