Frequency of vacuolating cytotoxin A (VacA)-positive Helicobacter pylori seropositivity and TGF-β1 decrease in atrial fibrillation

Abstract The study was performed to determine whether there were any associations of VacA positive Helicobacter pylori and TGF-β1 with atrial fibrillation (AF). The serum levels of antibodies to H. pylori and VacA, and cytokines were assessed using ELISA in 96 subjects. While elevated levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and CRP were associated with AF, TGF-β 1 was significantly lowered in AF patients ( p =0.021). In addition, AF was associated with elevated levels of antibodies to VacA ( p =0.023), compared to the control group. Accordingly, the chronic infection of VacA + H. pylori may increase the risk for AF by inducing systemic inflammation mediated, partly by suppressed TGF-β 1 and elevated proinflammatory cytokines.