Impact of seroconversion and antichlamydial treatment on the rate of pre-eclampsia among Egyptian primigravidae

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of antichlamydial treatment and Chlamydia pneumoniae seroconversion on the incidence of pre-eclampsia among Egyptian primigravidae.MethodsThe present prospective study included 600 healthy normotensive primigravidae who attended an outpatient clinic at 10–16 weeks of pregnancy. A single venous blood sample was collected to test for C. pneumonia-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Seropositive women were randomly allocated to receive or not receive antichlamydial treatment before 20 weeks of pregnancy. Seronegative participants had another test at delivery for the presence of C. pneumonia-specific IgG to determine seroconversion. All participants were followed up for up to 8 weeks postpartum and observed for the development of pre-eclampsia.ResultsThe rate of pre-eclampsia among seropositive participants differed significantly depending on whether the women received treatment or not (6.5% and 19.1%, respectively; P = 0.014). No statistically significant difference in the rate of pre-eclampsia was detected between seronegative participants who underwent seroconversion and those who did not.ConclusionThe present results indirectly support the hypothesis that infectious agents (in particular C. pneumoniae) have a role in the development of pre-eclampsia. The findings also indicate that antichlamydial treatment might help to reduce the incidence of pre-eclampsia.