Helicobacter pylori—An Infectious Risk Factor for Atherosclerosis?

Abstract

Accumulating evidence implicates Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in the pathogenesis of certain diseases localized outside the stomach, particularly those characterized by persistent and lowgrade systematic inflammation. Recently, the role of H. pylori infection in the development of atherosclerosis and its clinical complications has received attention. Atherosclerosis is a high-cost disease, and acute events resulting from this condition rank first among morbidity and mortality statistics in most industrialized countries. Atherosclerosis is a multifactorial disorder, and traditional risk factors explain only 50% of its etiology. Therefore, identifying new risk factors for atherosclerosis is necessary. Serological studies indicate that chronic H. pylori infection, especially that with more virulent strains, may predispose patients to the onset of atherosclerosis and related adverse clinical events, and PCR studies have detected H. pylori DNA in atherosclerotic plaques, although this finding remains controversial. If this association were to be confirmed, its importance to public health would be substantial, as the eradication of H. pylori is more straightforward and less costly than the longterm treatment of other risk factors. This review investigates the potential relationship between H. pylori infection and atherosclerosis from both epidemiological and pathogenic perspectives and characterizes the potential mechanisms underlying this correlation.

Helicobacter pylori Infection Aggravates Diet-induced Insulin Resistance in Association With Gut Microbiota of Mice

“…Accumulated evidence has suggested that this infection is associated with metabolic diseases, such as metabolic syndrome (Chen et al, 2015a, Chen et al, 2015b), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) (He et al, 2014b) and atherosclerotic diseases (He et al, 2014a), yet the underlying mechanism is obscure. Insulin resistance (IR) and subsequent hyperinsulinemia are the key pathogenic factors contributing to these metabolic abnormalities.…”

<i>Helicobacter Pylori</i> Infection and Risk of Death From Cardiovascular Disease Among the Japanese Population: a Nested Case-Control Study within the JACC Study

“…Because separate analyses for subjects measured using either J-HM-CAP or E-Plate ELISA kits showed similar results, we chose to combine data sets derived from the two ELISA tests. Of multiple mechanisms proposed to explain the H. pylori infection -CVD associations 15,22) , the effect of H. pylori colonization on atherosclerosis through the generation of a persistent low-grade inflammatory stimulus is plausible. This is because previous studies provided indirect evidence that serum lipid or inflammatory biomarkers such as CRP were significantly higher in H. pylori-infected individuals compared with H. pylori-negative individuals [23][24][25] .…”

Helicobacter pylori infection and extragastroduodenal diseases

“…[27], объединивший 26 исследований случай-контроль, продемонстрировал, что инфекция H. pylori ассоциирована с повышенным риском развития инфаркта мио-карда (ОШ 2,10 при 95% ДИ от 1,75 до 2,53; р=0,06). С учетом того, что ДНК H. pylori нередко определяется в атеросклеротиче-ских бляшках, существует гипотеза, что данный микроорганизм может участвовать в процессе атеросклероза, однако доказатель-ных данных в этом направлении пока недостаточно [28].…”