Association Between Metabolic Syndrome and Helicobacter pylori Infection Diagnosed by Histologic Status and Serological Status

Goals: We aimed to simultaneously evaluate the association between metabolic syndrome and Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection diagnosed histologically and serologically in a large number of healthy Korean adults. Background: Serological positivity for HP does not necessarily indicate current infection. No study to date has compared the association between metabolic syndrome and HP infection diagnosed by histologic and serological status. Study: HP status was ascertained histologically and serologically in healthy Korean adults who underwent comprehensive health screening in a private health screening center in Korea. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the International Diabetes Federation definition. Multivariate logistic analyses were performed, after adjusting for potential confounders, including age, sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, and income level. Results: A total of 5889 subjects were included in the analysis. The metabolic syndrome was more strongly associated with histologic positivity for HP [adjusted odds ratio (aOR)= 1.26; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.08-1.48] than serologic positivity (aOR = 1.12, 95% CI, 0.95-1.32), after adjusting for age, sex, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and economic status. Conclusions: The stronger association between metabolic syndrome and histologic positivity than serological positivity suggests that the effects of HP infection on the pathogenesis of cardiometabolic outcomes may be reversible. Further prospective studies are needed.