Association between type 2 diabetes mellitus and Helicobacter pylori infection.

Background/aims: It is well known that patients with diabetes mellitus are more prone to infection. In patients with diabetes mellitus, chronic infections are frequent and severe, due to the impairment of their immune status. The aim of this study was to determine the association between Helicobacter pylori infection and type 2 diabetes mellitus in the United Arab Emirates population. This is a case and control study comparison of type 2 diabetes mellitus and non-diabetic groups. The study was conducted at the primary health care clinics in United Arab Emirates during the period from June 2002 to August 2003. The study included 210 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and 210 non-diabetic subjects.

Methods: Helicobacter pylori was assessed by histopathological examination by measuring antibody profiles (IgG and IgA) among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and the non-diabetic group.

Results: The mean age of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients infected with Helicobacter pylori was 48.1 +/- 7.9 years compared to 46.7 +/- 5.4 years in the non-diabetic infected subjects. A positive antibody titer for Helicobacter pylori infection (IgA >or=300) was found in 76.7% of the diabetic subjects compared to 64.8% of the non-diabetic subjects (p<0.009). There was higher prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in diabetic obese patients than the non-diabetic subjects (23.6% vs 11.8%, p<0.001). Muscular (47.2%), gastrointestinal (29.8%), chronic bronchitis (22.4%), nausea (19.9%), anemia (18%), abdominal pain (12.4%), diarrhea (10.6%) and vomiting (7.5%) were more common in diabetic patients infected with Helicobacter pylori.

Conclusions: The present study suggests that there is a significant association between Helicobacter pylori infection and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Helicobacter pylori infection was significantly higher in diabetic obese patients than non-diabetic subjects.