ABSTRACT
Background: Coronary artery disease is considered as the most important cause of death. Infection is regarded as risk factor of coronary artery disease as it could accelerate the development of atherosclerosis process through formation of inflammation. However, studies on Helicobacter pylori infection have produced contradictory results
Objective: To investigate the coexistence of H. pylori infection and coronary artery diseases among patients in the city of Qazvin [Iran] during 2004-2005
Methods: This was a case-control clinical trial carried out on a total of 80 individuals including 40 patients with coronary artery diseases [case group] and 40 patients without coronary artery diseases [control group] who were randomly selected for the study. All patients were tested for urease breath test and the data were analyzed statistically using SPSS 15 and the Fisher's exact test
Findings: Positive results for urease breath test were observed in 80% and 45% of case and control groups, respectively [P=0.005]. Among married members of the case group, 39.4% of partners were also found to be positive for urease breath test whereas in partners of patients in control group it was 5.2%. The prevalence of H. pylori in partners of case and control groups was 83.3% and 38.46%, respectively. The difference in prevalence of H. pylori infection between the partners of both groups was found to be significant, statistically [P=0.0032]
Conclusion: Considering the significantly higher prevalence of coexistence of coronary artery diseases and H. pylori infection in partners, it could be concluded that H. pylori may play a role as a transmissible risk factor of coronary artery diseases among people
ABSTRACT
Background: The presence of large number of tonsillectomy surgeries and also the possibility of tonsillar colonization by Helicobacter pylori as the causative agent of tonsillar hypertrophy make it necessary to investigate any possible correlation between the presence of this bacterium and the occurrence of tonsillar hypertrophy
Objective: To investigate the frequency of Helicobacter pylori in chronic tonsillitis patients
Methods: Scorpion real-time PCR was performed on 103 archived paraffin-embedded tonsillar samples collected from patients with tonsillar hypertrophy following tonsillectomy operation at ENT ward of Qods Hospital [Qazvin University of Medical Sciences], Qazvin [Iran] during 2008-2009
Findings: H. pylori DNA was present in 21.35% of total specimens
Conclusion: Although the existence of H. pylori in tonsillar tissue samples of patients with tonsillar hypertrophy is controversial however, it seems that the method by which the laboratory investigation is made may influence the results as the more sensitive and specific scorpion real-time PCR assay showed the tonsils could be considered as important reservoir of H. pylori