Helicobacter pylori sero-prevalence in asthma

Abstract

Asthma is a very common respiratory disease which is characterized by the presence of cytokine-mediated airway inflammation leading to smooth muscle contraction, oedema and progressive airway damage in some cases. In light of our recent finding of an increased sero-prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in bronchiectasis, we have determined serum levels of H. pylori-specific IgG in asthmatic and control subjects. Altogether 90 consecutive asthmatic [mean age±SD 42·6±16 years and 52 female (F)] and 97 healthy control subjects (mean age ±SD 43·2 ± 13·3 years and 51 female (F); P=0·78 and 0·39 respectively) were recruited prospectively. H. pylori sero-prevalence was not significantly different between asthmatic and control subjects (P>0·05) Serum H. pylori IgG levels did not correlate with FEV1% predicted, FVC% predicted or duration of asthma (P>0·05). Similar to the results of previously published sero-epidemiological studies, there was a weak correlation between serum H. pylori IgG with increasing age (r=0·43, P=0·004 Despite the sero-epidemiological association of H. pylori infection with many inflammatory conditions, our data showed no such association for middle age asthmatic patients with mild intermittent asthma in our locality.