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Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with a higher risk for type 2 diabetes, as is the presence of a duodenal ulcer, according to findings published in PLoS One.
Previous research has suggested a link between H pylori infection and type 2 diabetes, and in a large cohort study of elderly individuals, H pylori infection was associated with an elevated rate of incident diabetes. However, evidence supporting a causal link for the relationship is lacking in the general population. In the current study, researchers investigated whether H pylori infection is associated with a higher risk for incident diabetes in a population-based cohort of individuals in the general population.
The cohort was comprised of 69,235 adults who received health examinations at a single facility in Taiwan from 2010 to 2016. Detection of H pylori infection was performed by rapid urease tests. Endoscopic examinations were used to diagnose gastric and duodenal ulcers.
Results showed that H pylori infection was significantly associated with the presence of both metabolic syndrome (odds ratio [OR], 1.27; 95% CI, 1.03-1.57) and diabetes (OR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.17-2.08), but only in male participants. Endoscopic examination with abnormal findings correlated with cardiometabolic diseases. Men with H pylori infection also had a higher risk for incident type 2 diabetes (hazard ratio [HR], 1.55; 95% CI, 1.15-2.10) after adjusting for relevant covariables. Endoscopic findings showed that the presence of a duodenal ulcer (HR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.11-3.44) was also predictive of incident diabetes diagnosis.
“Preexisting [H pylori] infection might result in endocrinological derangements and inflammation that harbor a predisposing milieu for incident [metabolic syndrome] and [diabetes]. Further randomized control trials investigating molecular mechanisms for the suppression of [H pylori] infection could contribute to the development of novel therapeutic strategies applicable to peptic diseases and [diabetes],” concluded the researchers.
Reference
Chen YY, Fang WH, Wang CC, et al. Helicobacter pylori infection increases risk of incident metabolic syndrome and diabetes: a cohort study. PLoS One. 2019;14(2):e0208913.
