Helicobacter pylori infection and atopic diseases: Is there a relationship? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Table 1 Summary of studies evaluating the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in atopic/allergic (cases) and non-atopic/non-allergic subjects (controls) n (%)

Ref.	Location	Population	H. pylori measure	Definition of atopy/allergic disease	H. pylori +/atopic-allergic	H. pylori +/non atopic-non allergic
Figura et al[15]	Italy	Adult	Anti-H. pylori IgG	Specific IgE to alimentary antigens	16 (42.1)	26 (48.3)
Figura et al[15]	Italy	Adult	Anti-H. pylori CagA IgG	Specific IgE to alimentary antigens	24 (65.5)	15 (28.0)
Matricardi et al[16]	Italy	Adult	Anti-H. pylori IgG	Positive skin prick test, total IgE and specific IgE	35 (15.0)	44 (18.0)
Bodner et al[17]	Scotland	Adult	Anti-H. pylori IgG	Questionnaires (about any occurrence of wheezing or whistling in the chest)	49 (57.6)	93 (48.9)
Bodner et al[17]	Scotland	Adult	Anti-H. pylori IgG	Skin reactivity, total IgE and specific IgE	77 (51.3)	65 (52.0)
Tsang et al[18]	China	Adult	Anti-H. pylori IgG	Symptoms of asthma twice a week, FEV1 of 80% of predicted value or >, reversibility of greater than 15% with salbutamol, PC20 of less than 8 mg/mL histamine	43 (47.3)	37 (38.1)
Radon et al[19]	Germany	Adult	Anti-H. pylori IgG	Questionnaires (about any occurrence of allergic symptoms) and specific IgE	18 (19.8)	50 (21.7)
Jun et al[20]	Japan	Adult	Anti-H. pylori IgG	Symptoms of asthma twice a week, FEV1 of 80% of predicted value or >, reversibility of greater than 15% with salbutamol, PC20 of less than 8 mg/mL histamine	27 (58.7)	26 (54.2)
Jun et al[20]	Japan	Adult	Anti-H. pylori CagA IgG	Symptoms of asthma twice a week, FEV1 of 80% of predicted value or >, reversibility of greater than 15% with salbutamol, PC20 of less than 8 mg/mL histamine	10 (21.7)	9 (18.8)
Janson et al[21]	Iceland, Sweden, Estonia	Adult	Anti-H. pylori IgG	Specific IgE to inhalant allergens	81 (24.8)	337 (36.6)
Shiotani et al[22]	Japan	Adult	Anti-H. pylori IgG	Questionnaires and direct interviews	42 (11.4)	72 (17.6)
Konturek et al[23]	Germany	Adult	C13-urea breath test and anti- H. pylori CagA IgG	Clinical history, specific IgE, skin prick test, food challenge	14 (33.3)	8 (40.0)
Reibman et al[24]	Unites States	Adult	Anti H-pylori IgG and anti CagA IgG	Questionnaires (about any occurrence of asthma)	79 (24.8)	65 (31.3)
Holster et al[25]	Germany	Children	Anti-H. pylori IgG anti-H pylori CagA IgG	Questionnaires (about any occurrence of wheezing)	12 (5.9)	37 (10.9)
Holster et al[25]	Germany	Children	Anti-H. pylori IgG anti-H. pylori CagA IgG	Questionnaires (about any occurrence of allergic rhinitis)	25 (8.5)	24 (9.5)
Holster et al[25]	Germany	Children	Anti-H. pylori IgG anti-H pylori CagA IgG	Questionnaires (about any occurrence of atopic dermatitis)	21 (8.7)	28 (9.2)
Holster et al[25]	Germany	Children	Anti-H. pylori IgG anti-H. pylori CagA IgG	Questionnaires (about any physician diagnosis of asthma)	7 (7.1)	42 (9.4)

H. pylori: Helicobacter pylori.

Table 2 Summary of studies evaluating the prevalence of atopy/allergic disorders in Helicobacter pylori positive (cases) and Helicobacter pylori negative (controls) subjects n (%)

Ref.	Location	Population	H. pylori measure	Definition of atopy/Allergic disease	Atopy-Allergic disorders/H. pylori +	Atopy-Allergic disorders/H. pylori -
Kosunen et al[26]	Finland	Adult	Anti-H. pylori IgG, IgA	Specific IgE antibodies (against birch, timothy pollen, cat and dog epitelium allergens) in 1973	16 (10.9)	20 (11.2)
Kosunen et al[26]	Finland	Adult	Anti-H. pylori IgG, IgA	Specific IgE antibodies (against birch, timothy pollen, cat and dog epitelium allergens) in 1994	3 (5.1)	54 (20.8)
Linneberg et al[27]	Denmark	Adult	Anti-H. pylori IgG	Specific IgE (at least 6 allergens: birch, grass, mug, wort, dog, cat, mite)	75 (27.5)	323 (39.2)
Linneberg et al[27]	Denmark	Adult	Anti-H. pylori IgG	Questionnaires (about any symptoms of allergic rhinitis)	48 (17.7)	236 (28.7)
Cullinan et al[28]	United Kingdom	Adults	Anti-H. pylori IgG	Skin prick tests to extracts of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, cat fur or grass pollen	53 (35.0)	278 (37.0)
McCune et al[29]	England	Adult	C13-urea breath test	Self-reported use of any appropriate medications for asthma, rhinitis and eczema, as surrogate markers of these diseases	85 (7.9)	235 (10.9)
Jarvis et al[30]	United Kingdom	Adult	Anti-H. pylori IgG	Questionnaires (about any occurrence of wheezing)	60 (28.9)	165 (27.2)
Jarvis et al[30]	United Kingdom	Adult	Anti-H. pylori IgG	Questionnaires (about any occurrence of walking with cough)	62 (30.0)	190 (31.0)
Jarvis et al[30]	United Kingdom	Adult	Anti-H. pylori IgG	Questionnaires (about any occurrence of hay fever or nasal allergies)	60 (28.9)	181 (29.6)
Jarvis et al[30]	United Kingdom	Adult	Anti-H. pylori IgG	Specific IgE (to any of five allergens: house dust mite, cat, grass, Cladoporum and birch)	83 (39.9)	230 (37.6)
Chen et al[31]	United States	Adult	Anti-H. pylori IgG and anti- H. pylori CagA IgG	Self-reported asthma (current)	169 (4.5)	196 (5.0)
Chen et al[31]	United States	Adult	Anti-H. pylori IgG and anti- H. pylori CagA IgG	Self-reported asthma (lifetime)	229 (6.1)	296 (7.5)
Chen et al[31]	United States	Adult	Anti-H. pylori IgG and anti-H. pylori CagA IgG	Specific IgE for Ragweed	204 (33.0)	741 (6.7)
Chen et al[32]	United States	Adult	Anti-H. pylori IgG	Questionnaires (about any occurrence of asthma)	267 (10.2)	679 (14.2)
Chen et al[32]	United States	Adult	Anti-H. pylori IgG	Questionnaires (about any occurrence of dermatitis, eczema or rash)	234 (8.9)	514 (10.7)
Chen et al[32]	United States	Adult	Anti-H. pylori IgG	Questionnaires (about any occurrence of wheezing)	275 (10.5)	653 (13.6)
Seiskari et al[33]	Russian Karelia	Children	Anti-H. pylori IgG	Specific IgE (for at least one allergen for birch, cat and egg albumin	9 (5.0)	8 (11.0)
Baccioglu et al[34]	Turkey	Adults	Microscopy on gastric tissue samples	Questionnaires (about any occurrence of doctor-diagnosed asthma)	8 (11.0)	5 (31.0)
Baccioglu et al[34]	Turkey	Adults	Microscopy on gastric tissue samples	Self-reported allergic rhinitis symptoms	45 (61.0)	11 (69.0)
Baccioglu et al[34]	Turkey	Adults	Microscopy on gastric tissue samples	Self-reported urticaria in the last two years	20 (27.0)	6 (38.0)
Baccioglu et al[34]	Turkey	Adults	Microscopy on gastric tissue samples	Self-reported food allergy symptoms	9 (12.0)	1 (6.0)
Baccioglu et al[34]	Turkey	Adults	Microscopy on gastric tissue samples	Skin prick test	20 (7.0)	4 (25.0)
Cam et al[35]	Turkey	School children	C13-urea breath test	Questionnaires (about any occurrence of doctor diagnosed allergic rhinitis)	3 (6.4)	1 (3.7)
Cam et al[35]	Turkey	School children	C13-urea breath test	Questionnaires (about any occurrence of doctor diagnosed asthma)	3 (6.4)	1 (3.7)
Cam et al[35]	Turkey	School children	C13-urea breath test	Questionnaires (about any occurrence of doctor diagnosed atopic dermatitis)	4 (8.5)	1 (3.7)
Cam et al[35]	Turkey	School children	C13-urea breath test	Skin prick test to extracts of five groups of aeroallergens (mites, molds, pollens, animal dander, insects)	15 (31.9)	13 (48.1)

H. pylori:Helicobacter pylori.