Abstract
Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with extragastric diseases. The thyroid may be one of the targets of chronic inflammation. Here, we sought to investigate whether H. pylori infections were associated with the presence of thyroid nodules. A total of 988 euthyroid subjects from China were included in this cross-sectional study. Four hundred thirty-five (44.0%) subjects were diagnosed as having thyroid nodules, and 486 (49.2%) were diagnosed with H. pylori infections. The thyroid nodules group had a higher proportion of H. pylori infections than the control group (P = 0.002). Free thyroxine (FT4) levels were lower and the prevalence of thyroid nodules was higher in patients with H. pylori infection compared to those without infection, even after adjustment for age, gender, and body mass index (BMI; all P < 0.05). The prevalence of H. pylori infection showed a decreasing trend as serum FT4 level increased (P trend = 0.020). Stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that H. pylori infection was significantly associated with the risk of thyroid nodules (odds ratio: 1.390, 95% confidence interval: 1.059–1.824, P = 0.018). Our results suggested that H. pylori infections were positively associated with the presence of thyroid nodules in the euthyroid population, whose thyroid functions were in the reference range.
Highlights
Helicobacter pylori is a gram-negative, spiral-shaped, pathogenic bacterium that typically colonizes and infects the gastric mucosa
systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), body mass index (BMI), and the presence of H. pylori infection were unfavorable and the proportion of women was higher in the thyroid nodules group when compared to the control group
When subjects were assessed relative to their H. pylori infection status, the results showed that the free thyroxine (FT4) levels were significantly lower, and the prevalence of thyroid nodules was significantly higher in subjects with H. pylori infection compared to control subjects, even after adjustment for age, gender and Subjects with TNsSubjects without
Summary
Helicobacter pylori is a gram-negative, spiral-shaped, pathogenic bacterium that typically colonizes and infects the gastric mucosa. H. pylori infections and H. pylori-induced chronic inflammation can cause gastric diseases, such as chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers, and gastric malignancies [1,2]. H. pylori infection can cause extragastric diseases. Preliminary data have shown that there is a positive relationship between H. pylori infection and extragastric diseases, such as metabolic syndrome [3], nonalcoholic fatty liver disease [4], diabetes mellitus [5], and insulin resistance (IR) [6]. Some reports have shown a positive correlation between H. pylori infections and autoimmune thyroid diseases (ATDs) [7,8,9]. The thyroid may be attacked by autoantibodies after H. pylori infection
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