The Association between Helicobacter Pylori Infection and Parkinson's Disease: A Case-Control Study
OC05-OC08
Correspondence
1. Medical Student, Student Research Committee, Babol University of Medical Sciences Babol, Mazandaran, Iran.
2. Assistant Professor, Non-Communicable Pediatric Diseases Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences Babol, Mazandaran, Iran.
3. Professor, Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences Babol, Mazandaran, Iran.
4. Master of Science, Department of Immunology, Babol University of Medical Sciences Babol, Mazandaran, Iran.
5. Assistant P
Introduction: Conflicting results have been reported about the association between Helicobacter pylori infection and Parkinsons disease.
Aim: To evaluate the relation between H. pylori infection and Parkinsons disease in patients living in northern Iran.
Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, 99 consecutive patients with Parkinsons disease visiting a Neurology Clinic were included. Also, 297 controls were chosen from the participants of the Amirkola Health and Ageing Project, who were matched to the patients with Parkinsons disease for sex, age and educational level. H. pylori infection was assessed by IgG Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay. The severity of Parkinsons disease was assessed by using the Unified Parkinsons Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and the Hoehn and Yahr Scale (HYS).
Results: A rate of 66.7% (n=33) of the patients with Parkinsons disease were positive for H. pylori infection, while it was 79.5% (n=236) in the controls {Odds Ratio (OR)=0.52, 95% Confidence Interval (CI)=0.31-0.86, p=0.01}. Scores of UPDRS and HYS were less in H. pylori-positive Parkinsons disease patients than in those who were not infected, however, the differences were not significant.
Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that H. pylori infection may protect people from Parkinsons disease. More definitive studies are necessary to confirm this finding.