Meta-analysis of the correlation between Helicobacter pylori infection and autoimmune thyroid diseases

Abstract

Objective: This study presents a systematic meta-analysis of the correlation between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD). Materials and Methods: Fifteen articles including 3,046 cases were selected (1,716 observational and 1,330 control cases). These data were analyzed using Stata12.0 meta-analysis software. Results: H. pylori infection was positively correlated with the occurrence of AITD (OR = 2.25, 95% CI: 1.72-2.93). Infection with H. pylori strains positive for the cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA) were positively correlated with AITD (OR = 1.99, 95% CI: 1.07-3.70). There was no significant difference between infections detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and other methods (χ2 = 2.151, p = 0.143). Patients with Grave's disease (GD) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) were more susceptible to H. pylori infection (GD: OR = 2.78, 95% CI: 1.68-4.61; HT: OR = 2.16, 95% CI: 1.44-3.23), while the rate of H. pylori infection did not differ between GD and HT (χ2 = 3.113, p = 0.078). Conclusions: H. pylori infection correlated with GD and HT, and the eradication of H. pylori infection could reduce thyroid autoantibodies.