Significant association between Helicobacter pylori infection and serum C-reactive protein.
BACKGROUND
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in gastric mucosa may cause systemic inflammatory reaction. This study aimed to examine the association between the infection and serum high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP).


METHODS
Subjects were comprised of three groups; 453 health checkup examinees from Yakumo town inhabitants in Hokkaido, Japan (YTI, 153 males and 300 females), 449 health checkup examinees (ENUH, 273 males and 176 females), and 255 female patients of an infertility clinic (PIC), Nagoya University Hospital. Twenty participants with hsCRP more than 1 mg/dl were excluded from the analysis. Those with hsCRP more than 0.1mg/dl were defined as high hsCRP individuals. H. pylori infection status was examined with a serum IgG antibody test.


RESULTS
When the three groups were combined, the geometric mean of hsCRP concentration was significantly higher among the seropositives (0.047 mg/dl) than among the seronegatives (0.035 mg/dl); p<0.0001 by a t-test. The percentage of high hsCRP individuals was also higher in the seropositives than in the seronegatives among any group; 23.3% and 20.1% in YTI, 22.0% and 16.0% in ENUH, and 32.7% and 18.7% in PIC, respectively, although the difference was significant only in ENUH. The summary odds ratio of the high hsCRP for the seropositives relative to the seronegatives was 1.38 (95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.89), when age, sex, body mass index, smoking, and subject group were adjusted by a logistic model.


CONCLUSIONS
In three groups, hsCRP was higher among the infected individuals. The summary odd ratio indicated that H. pylori infection could influence the serum hsCRP level.
Ishida
Yoshiko
Y
Department of Preventive Medicine, Biostatistics and Medical Decision Making, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan. mitton@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp
Suzuki
Koji
K
Taki
Kentaro
K
Niwa
Toshimitsu
T
Kurotsuchi
Shozo
S
Ando
Hisao
H
Iwase
Akira
A
Nishio
Kazuko
K
Wakai
Kenji
K
Ito
Yoshinori
Y
Hamajima
Nobuyuki
N
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000097:blood
D002097:C-Reactive Protein