Objective: Atherosclerosis still remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Although the mechanisms associated with the development of atherosclerosis have been largely studied, there remain potentially unclear pathogenetic pathways. Clinical studies have suggested that infections trigger inflammation and chronic infections are associated with the development and progression of atherosclerotic diseases. The association of cytomegalovirus (SMV) infection with coronary artery disease and carotid atherosclerosis has been demonstrated. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the coexistence of SMV infection and atherosclerosis in stroke patients.

Material and Method: One hundred and fifteen patients with stroke and 50 healthy controls were included into the study. Microparticle immunoassay-MEIA was performed on plasma samples isolated from both patient and control groups. Ischemic infarcts were detected with brain computed tomography brain magnetic resonance imaging. Stroke patients with cardioembolic source or with other chronic infections were excluded from the study.

Results: The CMV IgG test was positive in 109 patients in stroke group (%94.8) and 48 ones in control group (%96). There was no statistical difference between two groups (p =0.365).

Conclusion: Association between CMV infection and coronary heart disease and stroke is contraversial. In this study, high rates of SMV IgG positivity was detected in both stroke patients and control groups and our results showed that SMV infection cannot be a marker for stroke in our population.