To investigate whether gastric Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori( infection is associated with the progress of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease )NAFLD( in Dali city, China.Methods: One thousand and one hundred eighty-five adults who had visited a health examination center were enrolled. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and H. pylori infection were assessed by abdominal color ultrasound and 13 C-urea breath test, respectively. Serum lipid metabolic indices were compared between NAFLD subjects without and with H. pylori infection. Results:The prevalence rate of NAFLD for the entire study population )n=1185( was 44.6% )n=529(, including 167 women and 362 men. Among 529 NAFLD subjects, H. pylori was confirmed as a significant and independent risk factor for NAFLD )95% CI 1.02-1.79, p=0.036, OR =1.35(. Compared with H. pylori non-infected individuals )n=721(, higher contents of Original Article LDL-C )p=0.012( along with TC )p=0.014( were also observed in H. pylori-infected individuals )n=464(. Conclusion:A positive correlation is identified between H. pylori infection and NAFLD.

Objective The association between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains a matter of debate. We conducted this study to evaluate whether H. pylori infection is a major risk factor for NAFLD. Methods A total of 1185 individuals who received health check-ups from January 2017 to June 2019 were studied. Data of each subject who underwent 13C-urea breath, abdominal ultrasound, neck vascular color doppler ultrasound, and had a complete set of serum biochemical results was collected from the hospital information system. Participants were allocated to NAFLD group and non-NAFLD group based on abdominal color ultrasound for NAFLD. The baseline characteristics and serum biochemical results were compared. Logistic regression analyses were utilized to identify risk factors for NAFLD. Logistic regression models adjusted for confounding factors was performed to investigate the association between H. pylori infection and NAFLD. Results Compared to subjects without NAFLD(n = 656), those with NAFLD (n = 529) were more likely to be older, with higher weight, SBP, DBP, higher levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, FPG, AST and ALT, but with lower levels of HDL-C (all P values < 0.05). The levels of ALT, AST, BMI, FPG, TG, and DBP were independent risk factors for NAFLD (all P values < 0.05). Additionally, H. pylori was also an independent risk factor for NAFLD (OR = 1.35, 95%CI 1.02–1.79, P = 0.036). TC and LDL-C levels were significantly higher in H. pylori-positive group (n = 464) than that of in H. pylori-negative group (n = 721) (all P values < 0.05). Conclusions H. pylori infection is a key risk factor for NAFLD, and serum lipid metabolic dysfunction can be observed in the subjects with H. pylori, suggesting the potential role of H. pylori infection in the progression of NAFLD.