Chronic H. pylori Infection Linked to Early Vascular Disease

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/503505?src=mp

*Chronic H. pylori Infection Linked to Early Vascular Disease*

By Will Boggs, MD

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Apr 19 - Chronic infection with Helicobacter
pylori is associated with systemic inflammation and endothelial
dysfunction in otherwise healthy middle-aged men, according to a report

in the April 19th issue of the Journal of the American College of
Cardiology.

"Physicians should look for warning signs of cardiovascular disease in
patients with chronic gastritis or repeated gastric ulcer, which are
often caused by H. pylori," Dr. Tetsuya Oshima from the Hiroshima
University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Japan told Reuters

Health. "In addition, antibodies to H. pylori should be determined when

subjects without classic risk factors have elevated C-reactive protein
(CRP) or endothelial dysfunction."

Dr. Oshima and colleagues measured serum levels of IgG to H. pylori,
Chlamydia pneumoniae, cytomegalovirus (CMV), C-reactive protein (CRP),
soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and vascular cell adhesion
molecule-1, along with flow-mediated vasodilation in 81 healthy
Japanese
men whose average age was 40 years.

CRP and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 levels were
significantly higher in men seropositive to H. pylori than in
seronegative men, the authors report, and the frequency of H. pylori
seropositivity was significantly higher in men with high CRP. These
differences were not noted in those seropositive to C. pneumoniae or
CMV.

Flow-mediated dilatation was significantly lower in men seropositive to

H. pylori than in seronegative men, the results indicate. Again, there
were no such differences in men seropositive to C. pneumoniae or CMV.

No significant differences among the groups were noted in basal or peak

hyperemic blood flow, basal diameter of the brachial artery or its
response to nitroglycerin, or other variables measured in the study,
the
researchers note.

"We hypothesize that chronic infection with H. pylori directly or
indirectly induces a persisting systemic and vascular inflammation and
endothelial dysfunction," the authors conclude.

"We have started to study the effect of eradication therapy on
endothelial function and CRP in subjects seropositive to H. pylori,"
Dr.
Oshima said, and "we expect that endothelial dysfunction and elevated
CRP will be improved by H. pylori eradication."

/J Am Coll Cardiol/ 2005;45:1219-1222

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