Chapter 8 – Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori is a gastric pathogen that was once thought to affect only gastric physiology. More recently, H. pylori has been found in a variety of tissues, including nasal polyps, skin, and middle ear. Several investigators have found H. pylori DNA and antigens within atherosclerotic plaques, raising the possibility that H. pylori can influence vascular disease through direct or indirect mechanisms. The hypothesis that H. pylori causes cardiovascular disease remains to be further tested due to the inconsistency of epidemiological studies. Nonetheless, in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that H. pylori influences many biomarkers that are important for cardiovascular disease, including the lipid profile, Th1/Th2 balance, platelet activation, oxidative stress, and autoimmunity. This chapter will review available evidence and highlight questions that remain to be answered.