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ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
From the Departments of Medical Microbiology (A.v.d.V., C.B.), Psychiatry and Neuropsychology (R.v.D., M.M.), Hematology (K.H.), and Medical, Clinical, and Experimental Psychology (A.A.), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Address reprints requests to: R. van Diest, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry, Maastricht University, Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands. Email: rob.vandiest{at}pn.unimaas.nl
OBJECTIVE: Infections with herpes viruses have been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. We tested the hypothesis that vital exhaustion (VE) is associated with multiple herpesvirus infections, such as herpes simplex virus, varicella-zoster virus, Epstein-Barr virus, and cytomegalovirus, and with an increase in pathogen burden (ie, the aggregated seropositivity to immunoglobulin G antibodies for herpes simplex virus, varicella-zoster virus, Epstein-Barr virus, and cytomegalovirus). In addition, we examined the association of VE and pathogen burden with measures of hemostasis and inflammation.
METHODS: Blood samples were drawn from 29 men with VE and 30 male control subjects, all healthy and nonsmokers, to assess serological evidence of infection and measures of hemostasis and inflammation.
RESULTS: VE is associated with a relatively high pathogen burden, altered hemostasis, and higher levels of cytokines, such as interleukin-6. Across all subjects, a relatively high pathogen burden was also associated with altered hemostasis but not with increased cytokine levels. The interaction of VE with pathogen burden revealed significant linear increases in measures of hemostasis and inflammation. Finally, immunoglobulin G antibody titer levels of individual herpesvirus infections were not associated with hemostatic measures or with cytokines.
CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that stress-related alterations in hemostasis and inflammation are not necessarily linked to one particular herpesvirus infection but rather to an increase in aggregated seropositivity to herpesvirus infections.
Key Words: herpesvirus infections, • hemostasis, • cytokines, • vital exhaustion, • stress, • coronary artery disease.
Abbreviations: CMV = cytomegalovirus;; EBV = Epstein-Barr virus;; F1+2 = prothrombin fragments 1 + 2;; HSV = herpes simplex virus;; IL = interleukin;; IL-1ra = interleukin-1 receptor-antagonist;; IRS = inflammatory response system;; PAI-1:act = plasminogen activator inhibitor activity;; PB = pathogen burden;; tPA:ag = tissue plasminogen activator antigen;; tPA-PAI:ag = tPA-PAI complex antigen;; VE = vital exhaustion;; VII:a = activated factor VII;; VII:c, VIII:c = factor VII and VIII coagulant activity;; VZV = varicella-zoster virus;; vWf:ag = von Willebrand factor antigen.
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