A systematic review and meta-analysis on the co-infection of Helicobacter pylori with intestinal parasites: public health issue or neglected correlation?

ABSTRACT

The current study was conducted to assess the prevalence and odds ratio (OR) of co-infection of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and intestinal parasites (IPs). English databases were searched. A total of 18 studies including 14 studies with cross-sectional design (a total of 3739 participants) and 4 studies with case-control design (397 patients and 320 controls) met the eligibility criteria. The pooled prevalence of H. pylori, intestinal parasite infections (IPIs), and their co-infections in different populations were 48.3% (95% CI, 34.1–62.8%), 15.4% (95% CI, 10–22.8%), and 11% (95% CI, 6.7–17.6%), respectively. The co-infection of H. pylori and Giardia was 7.6% (95% CI, 4.9–11.7%). Although statistically not significant, the risk of co-infection of H. pylori and IPIs was higher in case group compared to control group (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 0.77–3.25). The overlaps between H. pylori and IPIs in countries with lower human development index (HDI) and income levels were high.

KEYWORDS:

• Helicobacter pylori
• intestinal parasites
• gastrointestinal complications

Acknowledgments

We thank the scientists and personnel of the Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, and Medical Parasitology Department in Tarbiat Modares University of Medical Sciences, Tehran for their supports.

Author contributions

HM, AY, and ESM designed the study. AT, SB, and MB contributed to study implementation. AT, SB, and MB collaborated in the analysis and interpretation of data. AT and HM collaborated in the manuscript writing and revision. MRZ contributed in reviewing and editing the manuscript. All the authors commented on the drafts of the manuscript and approved the final version of the article.

Consent for publication

All authors of this manuscript declare that we have seen and approved the submitted version of this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards (IR.SBMU.RIGLD.REC.1395.878) released by Ethical Review Committee of the Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.

Availability of data and materials

The data associated with this manuscript are included in the article.