Helicobacter pylori seroprevalence in patients with cirrhosis of the liver and hepatocellular carcinoma.
BACKGROUND
Infection by Helicobacter hepaticus causes chronic hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in mice, and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) genomic sequences have been demonstrated in the liver of patients with HCC. H. pylori infection reportedly occurs with high frequency in patients with cirrhosis but none of the studies has investigated it in subjects with cirrhosis and superimposed HCC. In this case-control study, we searched for the seroprevalence of H. pylori infection in patients with HCC.


METHODS
Forty-six patients (30 males, 16 females, mean age 69 years) with HCC and hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhosis were compared to 46 sex and age (+/-1 year) matched patients presenting consecutively to the Emergency Department of Molinette Hospital of Torino. All subjects were tested for presence in serum of IgG antibodies against H. pylori and the result was analyzed using the chi-square test.


RESULTS
H. pylori seropositivity was more prevalent among patients with HCC (36/46, 78.2%) than in controls (25/46, 54%) (P<0.05) (OR 3.02, 95% confidence interval ). Twenty-five out of 30 (83.3%) male patients showed seropositivity at a variance with 16/30 (53%) in the controls (P<0.05); 11 out of 16 (68.7%) female patients were seropositive versus 9 out of 16 (56.2%) control subjects (P=n.s.).


CONCLUSIONS
Seroprevalence of antibodies to H. pylori was found to be higher in patients with HCC than in controls.
Leone
Nicola
N
Department of Gastro-Hepatology, Molinette Hospital, Via Chiabrera 34, 10126 Turin, Italy.
Pellicano
Rinaldo
R
Brunello
Franco
F
Cutufia
Miguel Angel
MA
Berrutti
Mara
M
Fagoonee
Sharmila
S
Rizzetto
Mario
M
Ponzetto
Antonio
A
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral