Nonlinear Relationship Between Myeloperoxidase Levels and Helicobacter pylori Infection Risk in Chinese Adults: A...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical research
• Infectious disease epidemiology
• Inflammation markers

Background:

• Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is an enzyme involved in inflammatory processes.
• Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a common bacterial pathogen affecting the stomach.
• The relationship between MPO levels and H. pylori infection risk is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the nonlinear association between plasma myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection risk.
• To evaluate potential modifiers of this association and its clinical implications for infection prevention strategies.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 15,180 Chinese adults using routine health examination data.
• H. pylori infection diagnosed via 14C-urea breath test; plasma MPO levels measured by ELISA.
• Nonlinear associations analyzed using logistic regression, restricted cubic splines, and threshold effect analysis.

Main Results:

• A significant U-shaped correlation was observed between MPO levels and H. pylori infection risk.
• Both lowest (≤20.6 ng/mL) and highest (≥31 ng/mL) MPO tertiles were associated with elevated infection risk compared to the middle tertile.
• Threshold analysis identified a nonlinear inflection point at 24.0 ng/mL MPO, with risk increasing above this level and decreasing below.

Conclusions:

• Plasma MPO levels demonstrate a robust, U-shaped association with H. pylori infection risk, independent of confounders.
• This finding suggests MPO may serve as a biomarker for bidirectional risk of H. pylori infection.
• Further longitudinal research is needed to confirm causality and clinical utility.