Changes in the lipid profile of patients with asymptomatic and symptomatic helicobacter pylori infection

Introduction: Helicobacterpylori ( H. pylori) infection often coexists with coronary artery disease, but the causal relationship is not clear as yet. The aim: to assess the lipidogram of patients with asymptomatic and symptomatic H. pylori infection.

Material and methods: The study included 30 healthy subjects (group I), 40 patients with asymptomatic (group II) and 40 with symptomatic (group III) H. pylori infection. The diagnosis of infection was based on the results of the urea breath test (13C-UBT) and the concentration of specific IgG antibodies. Serum concentration of: total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein (LDL) fraction, high density lipoprotein fraction (HDL), non-HDL cholesterol (TC-LDL) and triglycerides (TG) were tested.

Results:Mean total cholesterol concentration was in group I-170,1±14,9 mg/dl, in group II - 173,0±13,1 mg/dl (>0,05), in group III - 192,9±20,1 mg/dl (<0,001). The concentration of LDL fraction was in group I - 111,6±12,5 mg/dl, in group II - 130,2±13,1 mg/dl (<0,001) and in group III-151,3±14,6 mg/dl (<0,001). The concentration of HDL fraction was in group I - 55,1±7,1 mg/dl, in group II-40,7±6,4 mg/dl (<0,001), in group III-40,0±4,9 mg/dl (<0,001). The concentration of non-HDL (TC-HDL) was in group I - 114,5±12,4 mg/dl, in group II - 132,2±13,8 mg/dl (<0,001), in group III - 152,8±15,6 mg/dl (<0,001). Triglycerides were in group I-133,3±24,2 mg/dl, in group II - 132,1±23,4 mg/dl (>0.05), in group III - 154,75±17,2 mg/dl (<0,001).Moreover, in group III a positive correlation was demonstrated between total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides, non-HDL cholesterol and 13C-UBT.

Conclusion: In H.pylori-infected patients there are observed changes in the lipidogram, particularly adverse ones in the proportion of LDL to HDL.