title: Association of Helicobacter pylori infection with cardiovascular disease--is it just a myth?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the hypothesis that Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with a higher rate of documented cardiovascular disease (CVD) in subjects undergoing elective upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.
  
  
  METHODS
  202 consecutive patients (median age 60 years, 101 men) were studied. H. pylori infection was established by a rapid urease test in a gastric tissue sample (CLO test) and by histological examination of gastric mucosa from the stomach antrum and body. CVD was documented by completion of the Rose questionnaire. The association of H. pylori infection with CVD was determined by multivariate logistic regression modelling after adjusting for potential confounding factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 104 (51.5%) subjects were found H. pylori positive. Forty patients had a confirmed history of CVD. Multiple logistic regression analysis verified the strong associations of CVD with established risk factors of atherosclerotic disease but not with H. pylori infection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that there is no association of H. pylori infection with CVD. Eradication of H. pylori to prevent CVD is not warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School of Ioannina, University of Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitrios K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Christodoulou
authors.forename: Haralampos J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Milionis
authors.forename: Panagiota
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pappa
authors.forename: Konstantinos H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Katsanos
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sigounas
authors.forename: Matilda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Florentin
authors.forename: Moses
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elisaf
authors.forename: Epameinondas V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Tsianos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000209:etiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000150:complications; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D041742:Upper Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000473:pathology*