title: Association between type 2 diabetes mellitus and Helicobacter pylori infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It is well known that patients with diabetes mellitus are more prone to infection. In patients with diabetes mellitus, chronic infections are frequent and severe, due to the impairment of their immune status. The aim of this study was to determine the association between Helicobacter pylori infection and type 2 diabetes mellitus in the United Arab Emirates population. This is a case and control study comparison of type 2 diabetes mellitus and non-diabetic groups. The study was conducted at the primary health care clinics in United Arab Emirates during the period from June 2002 to August 2003. The study included 210 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and 210 non-diabetic subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Helicobacter pylori was assessed by histopathological examination by measuring antibody profiles (IgG and IgA) among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and the non-diabetic group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients infected with Helicobacter pylori was 48.1 +/- 7.9 years compared to 46.7 +/- 5.4 years in the non-diabetic infected subjects. A positive antibody titer for Helicobacter pylori infection (IgA >or=300) was found in 76.7% of the diabetic subjects compared to 64.8% of the non-diabetic subjects (p<0.009). There was higher prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in diabetic obese patients than the non-diabetic subjects (23.6% vs 11.8%, p<0.001). Muscular (47.2%), gastrointestinal (29.8%), chronic bronchitis (22.4%), nausea (19.9%), anemia (18%), abdominal pain (12.4%), diarrhea (10.6%) and vomiting (7.5%) were more common in diabetic patients infected with Helicobacter pylori.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study suggests that there is a significant association between Helicobacter pylori infection and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Helicobacter pylori infection was significantly higher in diabetic obese patients than non-diabetic subjects.
authors: Hamad General Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation Doha, Department of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, State of Qatar. abener@hmc.org.qa
authors: Abdulbari
authors: A
authors: Bener
authors: Rosetta
authors: R
authors: Micallef
authors: Mustafa
authors: M
authors: Afifi
authors: Moutaz
authors: M
authors: Derbala
authors: Hamad M
authors: HM
authors: Al-Mulla
authors: M Asad
authors: MA
authors: Usmani
mesh_terms: D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000382:microbiology*; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D012698:Serologic Tests