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Infection by Helicobacter pylori and acute myocardial infarction. Do cytotoxic strains make a difference?

R Pellicano1, P P Parravicini, R Bigi

  • 1Department of Gastro-Hepatology, Molinette Hospital, Turin, Italy.

The New Microbiologica
|August 14, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Helicobacter pylori infection is significantly more common in men with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) than in controls. This bacterial infection, not necessarily the virulent strains, is linked to increased AMI risk, independent of traditional risk factors.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Classical risk factors for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) do not fully explain disease epidemiology.
  • Infectious agents are emerging as potential contributors to AMI risk.
  • Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, particularly virulent strains, is suspected to be associated with AMI.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence of H. pylori infection and its virulent strains in male patients with AMI compared to a control group.
  • To assess the association between H. pylori infection and AMI, independent of traditional risk factors.

Main Methods:

  • A case-control study involving 223 male patients with AMI and 223 age-matched male controls admitted to emergency care.
  • H. pylori seroprevalence was determined by detecting IgG antibodies against H. pylori and anti-CagA.
  • Classical risk factors (hypertension, cholesterol, glucose, fibrinogen, smoking) were evaluated.

Main Results:

  • H. pylori infection was significantly more prevalent in AMI patients (84.7%) than in controls (61.8%) (p < 0.0001).
  • Prevalence of anti-CagA antibodies (virulent strains) did not significantly differ between AMI patients (33.8%) and controls (26.8%) (p=0.17).
  • Classical risk factors for AMI did not differ between patients with and without H. pylori infection.

Conclusions:

  • Patients with AMI exhibit a significantly higher prevalence of H. pylori infection compared to the control group.
  • The association between H. pylori and AMI appears to be independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors.
  • Further research may be warranted to elucidate the precise role of H. pylori in the pathogenesis of AMI.

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