The Association between Helicobacter pylori and Graves' Disease

Background and study aim: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is a very common health problem associated with both gastric and extra gastric manifestations. Its association with autoimmune thyroid diseases (ATD) including Graves’ Disease (GD) was suspected and needed to be furtherly investigated. Patients and Methods: This case - control study included 43 patients with GD and a control group of 47 healthy volunteers. Hormonal diagnosis of GD was achieved by decreased level of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and elevated levels of tri-iodothyronine (FT3) and free thyroxine (FT4) and serological diagnosis was achieved by positive titers of auto-antibodies against thyroglobulin (TG   Abs), thyroid peroxidase (TPO Abs) and thyrotropin receptor (TR Abs). H. pylori infection was diagnosed by detecting H. pylori antigens in stool using an amplified enzyme immunoassay (amplified EIA). The antibodies against Cytotoxin-associated gene A (Cag-A) were assessed in serum samples using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method (ELISA). The results were statistically analyzed using Fisher's test and the respective Odd's ratio (OR). Results: No significant difference in prevalence of H. pylori infection was found between GD patients and the control group. Conclusion: No association between H. pylori infection and Graves' disease could be detected.