Is Helicobacter pylori infection a risk factor for acute coronary syndromes?
OBJECTIVE
To elucidate risk factors for acute coronary syndromes (ACS), the present study examined whether Helicobacter pylori infection is a risk factor for patients with ACS.


METHODS
We studied 33 male patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). All patients were incidence cases of ACS that they did not have a past history of IHD and were at the first onset of ACS. A control group was consisted of 66 males. Controls were at random selected from outpatients. All controls had normal resting electrocardiogram and had no history of IHD. H. pylori seropositivity was determined by an IgG-specific enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We serologically confirmed the presence of antibodies specific to the antigen CagA of H. pylori, using CagA ELISA.


RESULTS
Seropositive rate of IgG antibodies in patients with ACS was 87.9%. A rate of in controls was 66.7%. After adjustment for age, a statistically significant association was found in H. pylori seropositivity between ACS and controls (OR, 3.74; 95% CI, 1.15-12.13). This relation was also significant after adjusted for potential confounding factors (OR, 4.09; 95% CI, 1.10-15.17). Anti-CagA positive H. pylori were significantly recognized in ACS (adjusted OR, 3.58; 95% CI, 1.08-11.82). However, this significant association was disappeared after adjusted for potential confounding factors (P=0.054).


CONCLUSIONS
We confirmed a significant link between H. pylori infection and ACS. H. pylori infection is likely to be a risk factor for ACS.
Miyazaki
Motonobu
M
Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Fukuoka University, 7-45-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan. motonobu@cis.fukuoka-u.ac.jp
Babazono
Akira
A
Kadowaki
Ken
K
Kato
Masumi
M
Takata
Tohru
T
Une
Hiroshi
H
D000368:Aged; D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; C080866:cagA protein, Helicobacter pylori