Association Between Anti-Chlamydial Antibodies and Tubal Factor Infertility in South Eastern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND

Chlamydia Trachomatis infection often runs an asymptomatic course with long-term sequelae. It commonly affects the fallopian tubes and could result in tubal blockage. A study of antichlamydial antibodies, a marker of the disease's presence, could help understand the disease burden in a given population.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence of anti-chlamydial antibodies, and its association with tubal infertility among female partners of infertile couples in Enugu, South-eastern Nigeria.

METHODOLOGY: It was a cross-sectional analytical study involving two groups of infertile women attending gynaecology clinics of two tertiary institutions in Enugu, south-eastern Nigeria. Group A (Study group) had tubal factor infertility (n = 143) while Group B (Control) had non-tubal factor infertility (n = 143). Data were obtained using a structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. Peripheral blood samples were collected and analyzed for anti-chlamydial antibodies using Human chlamydial trachomatis ELISA kits. Statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 25.0 was used for analysis. P-value of <0.05 was statistically significant.

RESULT: The overall prevalence of chlamydial seropositivity was 28.0%. Women with tubal factor infertility were almost twice more likely to have chlamydial seropositivity than those with non-tubal factor infertility (33.6% vs 22.4%; OR = 1.75; 95% C.I = 1.03 - 2.96; p = 0.036). Bilateral tubal occlusion (66.4%) was the commonest tubal pathology identified in the hysterosalpingogram.

CONCLUSION

Anti-chlamydial antibodies were significantly associated with tubal factor infertility in Enugu, South-eastern Nigeria. It is recommended that serum anti-chlamydial antibody testing could be adopted as a screening test for tubal infertility in the study population.