Estimates of global and regional prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection among individuals with obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: The prevalence of obesity is an escalating concern in modern populations, predominantly attributed to the widespread adoption of sedentary lifestyles observed globally. Extensive research has established a significant association between obesity and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). Nonetheless, a comprehensive assessment of the global prevalence of H. pylori among individuals with obesity remains undetermined.

Methods: A systematic search strategy was applied to PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. The resulting records were screened using the Rayyan online tool for the management of systematic reviews. Freeman-Tukey double arcsine transformation was used. Subgroup analyses (continent, regional classifications, developmental status, religion, global hemisphere, income, access to international waters, and H. pylori eradication) and multivariate meta-regression (latitude, longitude, male-to-all ratio, mean age, and body mass index) were done to estimate the effects of the moderators. Risk of bias assessment was done using JBI checklist for prevalence studies.

Results: A total of 472,511 individuals with obesity from 208 studies were included. The global estimation of H. pylori prevalence among individuals with obesity was 32.3% (95% CI 26.9%, 38.0%). South America had the highest prevalence. Based on the different classifications of countries, resource-rich, low-/middle-income, developing, and Islamic countries had the highest prevalence. Lower pooled prevalence was observed in the studies with adequate sample sizes (n ≥ 270).

Conclusion: The findings have the potential to influence future health policies for preventing and treating H. pylori infection. However, there is variability among the included studies, indicating the need for more population-based research.