Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Cytomegalovirus and Herpes Simplex Virus in Chronic Venous Insufficiency

Abstract

The pathophysiology in varicose veins (VV) and the development of venous ulceration (VU) is still unknown. The presence of Chlamydophila pneumoniae (Cp), cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV) has been associated with arterial disease. The aim of this study was to investigate if this also applies to venous disease. Antibodies to Cp were determined in 20 patients with VU and three matched groups: controls, VV patients with and without skin changes. PCR analyses for Cp, CMV and HSV were made from tissue samples taken at surgery for inguinal hernia and VV, 10 patients each. There was no difference in prevalence of Cp IgA or IgG between the control group and the three groups with VV and VU. CMV-PCR was positive in three normal veins and in two varicose veins. No Cp- or HSV-specific DNA was found in any of the tissue samples.