Study of Helicobacter pylori infection in type 2 Diabetic patients with ischemic heart disease

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a syndrome with metabolic, vascular and neuropathic components which are interrelated. The vascular syndrome consists of abnom1alities in both large vessels (macro-angiopathy) and small vessels (micro-angiopathy). The macro-angiopathic changes cause cerebro-vascular dJ seases, ischemic heart diseases and peripheral vascular diseases. The established risk factors for atherosclerosis such as diabetes mellitus do not explain the clinical and the epidemiological features of ischemic heart disease, the role of chronic infection as a risk factor for ischemic heart disease may partially explain these features (Leowattana w, 2001).

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection may play a role in the etiological factors. It is a gram-negative, spiral-shaped organism associated with gastrointestinal disease in humans. It has a worldwide prevalence, 50% ,)f the population of the world are infected. Before the first isolation and documentation of this organism from human stomach in 1982, it wa ; assumed that the human stomach was a sterile enviromnent becaJse of the high levels of acid, which would exclude it as an ecologic niche for any organism (Windsor and O'Rouke ,2000).

The infection with H. pylori has been epidemiologicaly linked to some extradigestive conditions including coronary heart disease, functional vascular diseases e.g. primary Raynaud's phenomenon (Crabtree et a/.,1998), autoimmtme diseases Sjogren's syndrome (Figura et al., 1998), Henoch- Schonlein purpra (Crabtreete et al, 1998), autoimmune