H. pylori infection found to be related to gallbladder diseases

(HealthDay)—Gallstones are less common with Helicobacter pylori infection among a Chinese population, according to a study published Nov. 27 in the Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology.

Mei-Yan Xu, from the Aerospace Center Hospital in Beijing, and colleagues assessed the relationship between H. pylori infection and gallbladder diseases among 17,971 healthy participants.

The researchers found that 43.4 percent of participants had H. pylori infection, 5.5 percent had gallstones, 1.2 percent had cholecystitis, and 5.6 percent had cholecystic polyps. Among participants ≤45 years in the H. pylori-positive group, the prevalence of gallstones was lower than in the H. pylori-negative group (odds ratio, 0.653). In the H. pylori-positive group, the prevalence of cholecystic polyps was significantly higher than that seen in the H. pylori-negative group (odds ratio, 1.160).

"H. pylori infection is found to be related to cholecystic polyps and gallstones," the authors write.

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