title: Helicobacter pylori infection and light chain gammopathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Helicobacter pylori provokes a host of immune alterations upon colonizing the gastric mucosa.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report 22 individuals with confirmed Helicobacter pylori infection who were also managed for the concurrent elevation of immunoglobulin free light chain (kappa and lambda) levels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 22 patients, 15 patients (68.2%) had elevated free light chain levels: 6 patients (40%) had only kappa chain elevation, 2 patients (13.3%) had only lambda chain elevation, and 7 patients (46.7%) had both kappa and lambda chain elevation. Twenty out of the 22 patients (90.9%) were microbiologically confirmed cured with 3 patients being lost to follow-up for repeat levels. Of the 3 patients who were lost to follow-up, 1 patient had only kappa chain elevation, 1 patient had only lambda chain elevation, and 1 patient had both kappa and lambda chain elevation. For those who were cured (19 patients), 5 patients with kappa elevation had normalized values, 4 patients with lambda elevation had normalized values, and 2 patients with combined kappa and lambda elevation had normalized values. For 6 out of the 19 patients, the light chain levels remained elevated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We speculate that the Helicobacter pylori infection disrupts the immunoglobulin system with potential implications being discussed below.
authors.affiliation: Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA ; University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Orlando, FL 32816, USA ; Department of Medicine, Orlando Regional Medical Center, Orlando, FL 32806, USA.
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Girón
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH 03755, USA.
authors.forename: Shawn L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Shah
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007147:Immunoglobulin Light Chains / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010265:Paraproteinemias / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D007147:Immunoglobulin Light Chains