title: Iron deficiency anemia in Helicobacter pylori infection: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and iron deficiency anemia are prevalent in disadvantaged populations worldwide. The benefit of H. pylori eradiation for iron deficiency anemia has been extensively studied, but data are still equivocal.
  
  
  METHODS
  A search in The Cochrane Library, PUBMED, EMBASE, EBM Review databases, Science Citation Index Expanded, and CMB (Chinese Biomedical Literature Database) was performed. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing anti-H. pylori plus oral iron to oral iron alone for the iron deficiency patients in whom H. pylori was positive were selected for meta-analysis. Reviev Manager 5.0 software was used for the performance of meta-analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixteen randomized controlled trials totaling 956 patients were included. The meta-analysis showed that the difference from baseline to endpoint of hemoglobin (Hb), serum iron (SI), and serum ferritin (SF) was statistically significantly different between anti-H. pylori treatment plus oral iron and oral iron alone (SMD, Hb 1.48; 95% CI, 0.96, 2.00; p < 0.00001; SI 1.15; 95% CI, 0.87, 1.43; p < 0.00001; SF 1.84; 95% CI, 1.20, 2.48; p < 0.00001, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study suggests that treatment of H. pylori infection could be effective in improving anemia and iron statue in IDA patients infected by H. pylori, particularly in patients with moderate or severe anemia.
authors.affiliation: The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, The Evidence-Based Medicine Center of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
authors.forename: Wenzhen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.lastname: Li Yumin
authors.lastname: Yang Kehu
authors.lastname: Ma Bin
authors.lastname: Guan Quanlin
authors.forename: Donghai
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lijuan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood; D058085:Iron Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D006454:Hemoglobins; D058085:Iron Compounds; D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron