Association between Helicobacter pylori Infection and Cardiovascular Risk Factors among Patients in the Northern Part of Afghanistan: a Cross-Sectional Study in Andkhoy City

Hamrah, Mohammad Shoaib; Hamrah, Mohammad Hassan; Ishii, Hideki; Suzuki, Susumu; Hamrah, Mohammad Hussain; Hamrah, Ahmad Edris; Dahi, Ahmad Elias; Takeshita, Kyosuke; Hamrah, Mohammad Hashem; Fotouhi, Akbar; Sakamoto, Junichi; Murohara, Toyoaki

doi:10.22034/APJCP.2018.19.4.1035

Association between Helicobacter pylori Infection and Cardiovascular Risk Factors among Patients in the Northern Part of Afghanistan: a Cross-Sectional Study in Andkhoy City

Document Type : Research Articles

Authors

¹ Department of Cardiology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.

² Curative Clinic, Andkhoy, Afghanistan.

³ College of Stomatology, Kunduz University, Kunduz, Afghanistan.

⁴ Arya University Faculty of Medicine, Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan.

⁵ Department of Clinical Laboratory, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, japan.

⁶ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran.

⁷ Tokai Central Hospital, Kakamigahara, Japan.

10.22034/APJCP.2018.19.4.1035

Abstract

Background: The association between Helicobacter pylori infection and cardiovascular risk factors remains
controversial. The high prevalence of H. pylori infection among Afghan patients warranted the investigation of this
association. The aim of the present study was to determine the association between H. pylori infection and cardiovascular
risk factors among patients visiting an outpatient clinic in Andkhoy, Afghanistan. Methods: We performed a
cross-sectional study of 271 consecutive patients in an outpatient clinic in Andkhoy, Afghanistan from April 2017 to
June 2017. The diagnosis of H. pylori infection was achieved using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test. The
patients were divided into H. pylori positive (n=189) and H. pylori negative (n=82) groups. The association between H.
pylori infection and cardiovascular risk factors was analyzed. Results: Of the total 271 study participants, 102 (37.6%)
were male and 169 (62.4%) female. The mean age ± standard deviation of the patients who were H. pylori-positive
and H. pylori-negative was 51.0 ± 17.6 years and 51.6 ± 17.6 years, respectively. In multivariate logistic regression
analyses, H. pylori infection was significantly associated with diabetes mellitus (DM) (odds ratio [OR] 3.16, 95%
confidence interval [CI] 1.31-7.62, P = 0.011), and body mass index (BMI) levels (OR 1.17, 95% CI 108-1.26, P <
0.001). Conclusions: Our study indicated that H. pylori infection was significantly associated with DM and elevated
BMI levels in patients from an outpatient clinic in Andkhoy, Afghanistan. More aggressive measures, including DM,
obesity control, and H. pylori eradication are needed.

Keywords

Main Subjects