Role of Helicobacter Pylori Infection on Diabetic and Lipid Profile in Pre-diabetic Patients

Introduction: Helicobacter Pylori (H. pylori) infection is related to gastritis, peptic ulcers, gastric cancers and Mucosa Associated Lymphoid Tissue lymphomas (MALT). It is also associated with several extra-gastrointestinal pathologies owing to its association with increased production of proinflammatory cytokines, bacterial virulence factors and environmental factors. It may have an effect on onset of diabetes mellitus and alter lipid profile. Aim: To find the effect of H.pylori infection on diabetic profile and lipid profile in pre-diabetic patients. Materials and Methods: A single centre, cross-sectional study was conducted over a period from January 2019 to June 2020, on prediabetic patients (HbA1c 5.7-6.4%.). A total of 118 patients were recruited in the study and divided into two groups based on the H.pylori positive (group A) and negative (group B) results. HbA1c, LDL and HDL were investigated at 0 months, 6 months and 12 months and the results of the two groups were compared using student's t-test. SSPE Software-version 20 were used for analysis of the collected data. p-value<0.05 to be considered significant. Results: Of the 118 patients, 96 (mean age 48.3 years) completed the study. There 59 (61.5%) were males and 37 (38.5%) were females. A total of 54 (56%) of the study population tested positive for the H.pylori colonisation. The study showed that patients infected with H pylori (group A) had comparative rapid increase in the HbA1c levels (p-value 0.048) when compared with the noninfective group (group B). The group A also had statistically significant increase in the LDL cholesterol levels (p-value 0.032) and decrease in HDL cholesterol levels (p-value 0.02) than group B. Conclusion: Infection with H.pylori is associated with increase in the level of HbA1c in pre-diabetics. It is also associated with increase in the LDL cholesterol levels and decrease in the HDL cholesterol levels. Eradication of the pathogen may help in preventing or delaying the progression of pre-diabetes and dyslipidemia. However, larger studies without any confounding factors are needed to establish the association between H.pylori infection and its effect on Diabetic and lipid profile.