title: Five-year survival after Helicobacter pylori eradication in Alzheimer disease patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Alzheimer disease (AD) is a progressive, fatal neurodegenerative condition.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We tested the hypothesis that eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection (Hp-I) could improve survival in a Greek cohort of AD patients, in a 5-year follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-six patients diagnosed with probable AD were enrolled in the analysis. Study population was classified into 3 groups: patients for whom Hp eradication treatment was successful; those for whom eradication of Hp had failed, they refused, and/or were noncompliant with eradication therapy; and those who were Hp negative at baseline. Cox proportional hazards model was built with all-cause mortality as the dichotomous outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the 5-year follow-up [47.19±15.11 mo (range 12 to 60)], overall 21 patients died and 25 patients remained alive. Patients who died were older and exhibited lower mean MMSE score compared with the patients still alive. Successful eradication of Hp-I was associated with a significantly lower mortality risk [HR (95% CI)=0.287 (0.114-0.725), P=0.008]. The results were similar in adjusted and unadjusted models, for age and MMSE at baseline.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hp eradication regimen in AD patients is associated with a higher 5-year survival rate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Second Medical Clinic, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Ippokration Hospital, Byzantio, Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece. jannis@med.auth.gr
authors.forename: Jannis
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kountouras
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boziki
authors.forename: Emmanouel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gavalas
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zavos
authors.forename: Georgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Deretzi
authors.forename: Stavros
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chatzigeorgiou
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Katsinelos
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Grigoriadis
authors.forename: Evangelia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Giartza-Taxidou
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Venizelos
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome