Absence of Helicobacter pylori infection in coronary atherosclerosis disease in Northeast of Iran

Abstract Background Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disorder in which infectious agents are incriminated as contributors. It is suggested that Helicobacter pylori may be a risk factor of atherosclerosis. Methods This study was performed whether there are differences between coronary artery with and without atherosclerotic plaque in the presences of H. pylori DNA using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. This case-control study carried out on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) of coronary artery biopsies. These specimens were obtained from 30 patients with coronary atherosclerosis and 30 subjects without atherosclerosis. Multiple sections were cut from each FFPE, the Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was extracted by non-heating extraction method, then PCR was carried out for detection of H. pylori DNA and finally its products were analyzed by electrophoresis. Results The age range in the patient's group was from 18 to 50 years and the male to female ratio was 5 to 1. None of the coronary tissue samples had positive PCR results for H. pylori DNA and all of the control samples were also negative. Conclusions This study showed that H. pylori infection is not associated with coronary artery atherosclerosis.