Characteristics of Helicobacter pylori-induced gastritis and the effect of H. pylori eradication in patients with chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.
BACKGROUND
The association between Helicobacter pylori infection and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) has been reported widely. We investigated the prevalence of H. pylori infection, its virulence profile and the effectiveness of its eradication in patients with ITP.


METHODS
Twenty patients with ITP, 20 with peptic ulcer (10 gastric ulcer (GU), 10 duodenal ulcer (DU)) and 20 with NUD were studied. The virulence profile of the strains was assessed by genotyping for cagA, vacA, iceA, and hpyIIIR/hrgA and by assaying for IL-8 and DNA fragmentation after incubation with AGS cells. Infected patients and two uninfected ITP patients received triple therapy and platelets were counted before and 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after eradication therapy.


RESULTS
H. pylori infection was found in 17 ITP (85%), 20 ulcer (100%) and 13 NUD (65%) patients. Biopsies and strains were collected from five ITP, 20 ulcer and 13 NUD patients. The ITP patients had a pangastritis or corpus-predominant gastritis pattern. All H. pylori isolates, from ITP, ulcer and NUD patients, were cagA(+) and vacA s1/m1, and did not differ in levels of IL-8 induction or DNA fragmentation. Fifteen ITP (88%) and 17 ulcer (85%) patients had successful eradication of H. pylori. Ten of these 15 (67%) H. pylori-eradicated ITP patients had platelet recovery. There was no significant change in platelet count in the two ITP patients in whom eradication failed or in the two originally H. pylori-uninfected ITP patients, or in the treated ulcer patients. Age at onset of ITP was the main determinant of platelet recovery: 100% of patients diagnosed after the age of 60 recovered compared with only 22% of those diagnosed before 50.


CONCLUSIONS
H. pylori-infected ITP patients have a corpus-predominant pattern of gastritis but the virulence profile of their strains does not differ from that of ulcer or NUD patients. Eradication of H. pylori infection is a good therapeutic option for some patients with chronic ITP, especially for those who develop ITP in older age.
Ando
Takafumi
T
Department of Therapeutic Medicine, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
Tsuzuki
Tomoyuki
T
Mizuno
Tomokazu
T
Minami
Masaaki
M
Ina
Kenji
K
Kusugami
Kazuo
K
Takamatsu
Junki
J
Adachi
Kouichi
K
El-Omar
Emad
E
Ohta
Michio
M
Goto
Hidemi
H
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005756:Gastritis / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D005838:Genotype; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010437:Peptic Ulcer / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology; D010976:Platelet Count; D016553:Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C408644:IceA2 protein, Helicobacter pylori; C074689:VacA protein, Helicobacter pylori; D037521:Virulence Factors; C080866:cagA protein, Helicobacter pylori; C405087:iceA1 protein, Helicobacter pylori