title: Seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in chagasic and nonchagasic patients from the same geographical region of Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In this study, we evaluated the seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection among chagasic and non-chagasic subjects as well as among the subgroups of chagasic patients with the indeterminate, cardiac, digestive, and cardiodigestive clinical forms.
  
  
  METHODS
  The evaluated subjects were from the Triângulo Mineiro region, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Chagasic patients showed positive reactions to the conventional serological tests used and were classified according to the clinical form of their disease. Immunoglobulin G antibodies specific to H. pylori were measured using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall H. pylori prevalence was 77.1% (239/310) in chagasic and 69.1% (168/243) in non-chagasic patients. This difference was statistically significant even after adjustment for age and sex (odds ratio = 1.57; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-2.42; p = 0.04) in multivariate analysis. The prevalence of infection increased with age in the non-chagasic group (p = 0.007, χ² for trend), but not in the chagasic group (p = 0.15, χ² for trend). H. pylori infection was not associated with digestive or other clinical forms of Chagas disease (p = 0.27).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings demonstrate that chagasic patients have a higher prevalence of H. pylori compared to non-chagasic subjects; a similar prevalence was found among the diverse clinical forms of the disease. The factors contributing to the frequent co-infection with H. pylori and Trypanosoma cruzi as well as its effects on the clinical outcome deserve further study.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, MG.
authors.forename: Fernanda Machado
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.forename: Dulciene Maria de Magalhães
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Queiroz
authors.forename: Andreia Maria Camargos
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Aluízio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Prata
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Crema
authors.forename: Virmondes
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rodrigues Junior
authors.forename: Luiz Eduardo
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Ramirez
authors.forename: Adriana Gonçalves de
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Oliveira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000150:complications*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014505:Urban Population
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G