Ultrasonographic assessment of femoral cartilage thickness in patients with Helicobacter pylori infection.

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori is a major cause of gastritis and a potential trigger of inflammatory disease. The effect of Hpylori infection on distal femoral cartilage has yet to be evaluated. The aim of this study was to evaluate femoral cartilage thickness in patients with Hpylori infection and to find whether this infection affects femoral cartilage thickness. This cross-sectional study included 199 patients. To measure the thickness of femoral articular cartilage, 99 patients with Hpylori infections and 100 with Hpylori-negative controls were enrolled into two groups. The measurements were made using linear probe ultrasonography with the patients in supine positions and their knees in maximum flexion. Demographic, clinical, endoscopic and laboratory data were collected for all patients. Both the right and left femoral condyles had thinner cartilage thickness in the Hpylori-positive group than in the Hpylori-negative group (P=.016, P=.036). For the intercondylar area and lateral femoral condyles, although the Hpylori-positive patients had thinner femoral cartilage thickness than the Hpylori-negative individuals for both extremities, this finding was not statistically significant (P>.05). Femoral cartilage was thinner in patients with Hpylori than patients without Hpylori for right and left medial femoral condyles. This study suggests that Hpylori infections may affect femoral cartilage thickness and potentially increase the risk of cartilage degeneration.