Role of Helicobacter pylori infection in pathogenesis of atherosclerosis

Core Tip

Core tip: Though a century old hypothesis, infection as a cause of atherosclerosis is still a debatable issue. Clinical and epidemiological studies had shown a possible association, however in-homogeneity in the study population and methodology has yielded conflicting results. We performed a literature search on MEDLINE electronic database using keywords such as Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), infection, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, stroke, cerebro-vascular disease and peripheral arterial disease using MeSH terms, to review this subject. The association between H. pylori and atherosclerosis is not strong and a causal role is not yet established. Large scale studies on infection and atherosclerosis focusing on multiple pathogenetic mechanisms may help in refining our knowledge in this aspect.