Association of helicobacter pylori infection with severity of coronary heart disease

BACKGROUND There are few literatures evaluating the association between cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA) positive strains of Helicobacter pylori (HP) and the severity of coronary heart disease (CHD). This study was designed to investigate this association. METHODS Medical and drug history of 112 consecutive patients who were candidate for coronary angiography were taken. Fasting blood samples were obtained to measure C-reactive protein (CRP), anti Helicobacter pylori immunoglobulin G (anti-HP IgG), anti-CagA antibody (Ab) and interlukine-6 (IL6). According to angiography reports, participants were divided into patients with mild (n = 69) and with sever CHD (n = 36). To measure the association between CagA positive strains of HP with the severity of CHD, multivariate logistic regression tests were used by adjusting age, sex, history of diabetes mellitus (DM), dyslipidemia (DLP), and/or hypertension (HTN), CRP status and IL-6 level. RESULTS The analysis was concluded on 105 subjects. HP infection and CagA Ab were not significantly higher compared to the patients with severe and mild CHD (P = 0.28 and P = 0.68, respectively). Colonization of CagA positive HP did not significantly associate with severity of CHD (OR 1.05, 95% CI 0.33-3. 39). CONCLUSION Colonization of CagA positive HP was not an independent risk factor for severe coronary heart disease.