Helicobacters and Extragastric Diseases

Abstract

For two decades, Helicobacter pylori has been considered as the culprit in many extragastric manifestations. However, for several of these supposed associations the hypothesis of an etiological role has not yet been fully investigated. This may be due to a series of factors linked to the epidemiological features of the studies and to the diseases investigated. This review attempts to highlight the main reported associations of H. pylori with extragastric manifestations during the last year. The most convincing data arise in the field of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and sideropenic anemia. Long-term follow-up studies have shown that 50% of subjects with ITP maintain a hematological response after H. pylori eradication. There is also growing evidence of the role of H. pylori in other diseases, including ischemic heart disease even though results are not conclusive.

The Relationship betweenHelicobacter pyloriand Beta-2 Microglobulin in Humans

“…H. pylori is suggested to be related with low grade inflammation [15]. This low grade inflammation regarding H. pylori infection is associated with diabetes mellitus and atherosclerosis [16, 17]. CagA is one of the most virulent factors of H. pylori.…”

Diabetes increases morbidity and mortality rates in peptic ulcer bleeding: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Further studies have shown that diabetic angiopathy could damage mucosal integrity and lead to more severe ulcers, which made it more difficult to halt hemorrhage in patients with peptic ulcers (24,26). Moreover, some studies have demonstrated that DM affects the associations between Helicobacter pylori infection and peptic lesions (41)(42)(43)(44). Furthermore, animal studies have shown that diabetes increases the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and attenuates angiogenesis, which results in impaired ulcer healing (45)(46)(47).…”

Helicobacter pylori and Hematologic Diseases

“…Since the discovery in 1983 that the stomach could be colonized by bacteria [3], sufficient evidence has accumulated implicating H. pylori as a pathogen intimately related to benign stomach diseases, such us chronic gastritis and duodenal and gastric peptic ulcers [3], and malignant diseases, for example gastric cancer [4] and gastric MALT lymphoma [5]. Furthermore, during the last three decades following the discovery [3], approximately 50 extragastric diseases have been reported in medical specialties such as cardiology, dermatology, endocrinology, obstetrics and gynecology, pneumology, neurology, odontology, ophthalmology, otorhinolaryngology, pediatrics, and hematology [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20], the last of which is the subject of this review.…”