Helicobacter pylori infection and its relationship to plasma magnesium in hemodialysis patients

Dyspeptic symptoms are quite common in chronic hemodialysis patients, and Helicobacter pylori (cagA(+)) is thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis of the active gastritis and other upper gastrointestinal mucosal lesions in these patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate a probable association between plasma magnesium (Mg(2+)) and Helicobacter pylori infection in maintenance patients. Helicobacter pylori specific IgG antibody levels and plasma magnesium were measured in patients. Totally 44 patients consisted from 34 non diabetic hemodialysed patients and 10 diabetic hemodialysis patients. In this study, a significant positive correlation between anti-Helicobacter IgG antibody and plasma magnesium was found in all patients (r = 0.29, p = 0.050) (adjusted for dialysis sessions). The results of this study suggest the association of serum magnesium with the infection of Helicobacter pylori. Mg(2+) acquisition by CorA is essential for Helicobacter pylori in vitro. We concluded that high serum magnesium level and probably its higher concentration in gastric mucosa might facilitate the colonization of Helicobacter pylori in the stomach of hemodialysis patients, although more studies are needed to prove the clinical relevance of this finding (Tab. 1, Fig. 1, Ref: 23). Full Text (Free, PDF) www.bmj.sk.