title: Helicobacter pylori infection, dementia and primary open-angle glaucoma: are they connected?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The study aims to elucidate the putative association between various forms of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, primary open-angle glaucoma and Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) infection in all possible combinations.
  
  
  METHODS
  We prospectively recruited for the study 156 patients, divided into a dementia group, a glaucoma group and two control groups. All patients were submitted to neuropsychological evaluation aiming to detect dementia, ophthalmological examination, aiming to detect glaucoma, and H.pylori diagnostic testing. The provided data were analyzed with the question of possible correlation between the aforementioned entities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Positive correlations were found between Hp infection and dementia, Hp infection and glaucoma, as well as between dementia and glaucoma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study confirmed the hypothesis that neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and glaucoma are linked to each other and to H.pylori infection.
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Hippokrateion General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece. ftagaraki@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Fani
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tsolaki
authors.affiliation: Second Medical Department, Hippokrateion General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece. jannis@auth.gr.
authors.forename: Jannis
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kountouras
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, AHEPA Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece. ftopouzis@otenet.gr.
authors.forename: Fotios
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Topouzis
authors.affiliation: 3d Department of Neurology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Papanikolaou General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece. tsolakim@auth.gr.
authors.forename: Magda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsolaki
mesh_terms: D003704:Dementia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity / Q000639:trends; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors