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Questions posted in the
Heart Forum have been answered by doctors from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
Question Title: Chlamydia - Heart Disease LinkForum: The Heart Forum
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With 4 to 5 million cases of Chlamydia annually in the U.S. and recent studies linking chlamydia to heart disease, possibly through an autoimmune disorder in the heart,is this something to be concerned about and do you know of any further studies.
Dear Jake, thank you for your question. I'm very interested in infectious causes of coronary disease, so I've followed the whole Chlamydia debate closely. The bottom line is that small studies have shown conflicting results and no sustained benefit has been shown for antibiotic treatment to eradicate Chlamydia. Also, there's no direct evidence that Chlamydia causes coronary disease, it just may be associated with it. Several large-scale studies are currently underway to evaluate different antibiotic regimens designed to eradicate Chlamydia. Thus, I suggest that you stay tuned and wait for further results. I hope you find this information useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only. Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to write back with additional questions. Good luck! If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart
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