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The relationship between helicobacter pylori infection and myocardial infarction
Zohreh Azarkar1, Majid Jafarnejad, Gholamreza Sharifzadeh
1Department of Infectious Disease, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran.
Insights
Helicobacter pylori infection, particularly IgG antibodies, is significantly associated with myocardial infarction. This suggests H. pylori may be a novel risk factor for heart disease, warranting further investigation and potential clinical consideration.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is a leading cause of mortality in industrialized nations.
- Previous research suggests a link between infections, including Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), and CAD.
- The role of H. pylori in myocardial infarction (MI) requires further elucidation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between H. pylori infection and myocardial infarction.
- To compare H. pylori antibody levels (IgA and IgG) between MI patients and a control group.
- To explore the relationship between H. pylori infection and traditional cardiac risk factors.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study involving 73 MI patients and 78 healthy individuals.
- Participants were matched for age and sex.
- Serum IgA and IgG antibodies against H. pylori were quantified using ELISA; lipid profiles were also assessed.
Main Results:
- Higher prevalence of IgG antibodies against H. pylori in MI patients (57.5%) compared to controls (32.1%) (p=0.002).
- No significant difference in IgA antibody prevalence between groups (p=0.44).
- A significant association was found between H. pylori infection (IgG and IgA positive) and MI (p=0.01), and between dyslipidemia and H. pylori antibodies in the MI group (p=0.05).
Conclusions:
- H. pylori infection appears to be associated with myocardial infarction.
- The findings suggest H. pylori may act as a risk factor for atherosclerosis or exacerbate existing risk factors.
- Further research with larger cohorts is recommended to confirm H. pylori's role in heart disease.
Background:
Coronary Artery Disease is known as the main cause of death in industrialized countries. Relation between this disease and some infections such as Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) has been shown in several studies. The purpose of this study was to dermine the relationship between Hypylori and mycardical infarctions.
Methods:
Seventy-three myocardial infarction patients and 78 individuals with no history of this disease were compared. Patients and control matched for age and sex person to person by the match method. Levels of serum IgA and IgG antibodies against H. pylori were measured by Elisa method. Also, cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL, HDL measured in both groups and data were compared between two groups in terms of relation with cardiac risk factors.
Results:
From 151 participants, 73 were patients and 78 were control subjects. The percentage of IgG positive cases against H. pylori was 57.5% in the case group and 32.1% in the control group (p=0.002, OR: 2.87 CI: 95%; 1.5-5.6). Meanwhile, there was no significant difference in IgA positive cases between the two groups (42.5% and 48.7% in the case and control groups, respectively) (p=0.44; OR: 0.78 95% CI; 0.41-1.48). The study showed 74.2% of cases in the case group and 45.2% in the control group were positive for both IgG and IgA (p=0.01; OR: 3.5 95% CI; 1.3-9.5). No significant differences were found between two groups in terms of relation between H. pylori related antibodies level and heart disease classic risk factors (smoking, hypertension,…), sex, and age, but between dyslipidemia and H. pylori related antibodies was significant differences in case group (p=0.05).
Conclusion:
According to the results, it seems there is a relation between H. pylori infection and myocardial infarction. Also, between dislipidemia and H. Pylori antibodies in case group were significant difference. Therefore, H. pylori can be a new risk factor for atherosclerosis or can be exacerbate effect of other risk factors. Proper diagnosis and treatment of these infections can be useful in prone patients. More studies with larger sample groups are needed to review the possible role of this pathogen as a heart disease risk factor.
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Damaging agents such as Helicobacter pylori, gastric acid, pepsin, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can weaken the mucosal defense, allowing hydrogen ions to infiltrate back and harm epithelial cells.