Association of Helicobacter pylori infection with cardiovascular disease-Is it just a myth?

Objective: To test the hypothesis that Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with a higher rate of documented cardiovascular disease (CVD) in subjects undergoing elective upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Methods: 202 consecutive patients (median age 60 years, 101 men) were studied. H. pylori infection was established by a rapid urease test in a gastric tissue sample (CLO test) and by histological examination of gastric mucosa from the stomach antrum and body. CVD was documented by completion of the Rose questionnaire. The association of H. pylori infection with CVD was determined by multivariate logistic regression modelling after adjusting for potential confounding factors. Results: A total of 104 (51.5%) subjects were found H. pylori positive. Forty patients had a confirmed history of CVD. Multiple logistic regression analysis verified the strong associations of CVD with established risk factors of atherosclerotic disease but not with H. pylori infection. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that there is no association of H. pylori infection with CVD. Eradication of H. pylori to prevent CVD is not warranted. (C) 2010 European Federation of Internal Medicine. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.