Helicobacter pylori Infection in Never-Smoking Male Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and its Relation to Lung Function

There is a recent epidemiologic and serologic evidence for relationship between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). In order to assess the relationship between H. pylori infection and COPD and its impact on lung function we performed a cross-sectional study including 84 never-smoking male patients with COPD and an equal number of never-smoking males without chronic respiratory disease matched to the COPD patients by age. Evaluation of the study subjects included evaluation of H. pylori serological status, baseline and post-bronchodilator spirometry. We found significantly higher H. pylori seropositivity in COPD patients than in controls (76.2 Vs 34.5%, p = 0.041). The prevalence of H. pylori seropositivity did not differ significantly between patients with mild, moderate and severe COPD. Borderline significance was registered for the difference of the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁) mean value between seropositive and seronegative COPD patients (56.4 vs. 59.2, p = 0.063). The mean degree of FEV₁ reversibility did not differ significantly between seropositive and seronegative COPD patients. Our findings indicate that in cross-sectional analysis there is higher prevalence of H. pylori seropositivity in COPD than in non-COPD patients, as well as that H. pylori infection has not significant impact on lung function in COPD patients.