Helicobacter pylori infection has recently been associated to some organic
functional vascular disorders and, both observational and interventional st
udies have been carried out. A correlation between Helicobacter pylori infe
ction and ischaemic heart disease was first described in 1994. Recent data,
moreover, indicate a role of the bacterium in some functional vascular dis
orders such as primary headache and primary Raynaud phenomenon; indeed, som
e patients following eradication of Helicobacter pylori showed a significan
t improvement in the manifestations of these diseases. The host immune resp
onse against the bacterium may play an important role in the pathogenesis o
f vascular disorders, probably through a chronic stimulation of the release
of vasoactive substances, such as cytokines, prostaglandins and others. Ho
wever, various confounding factors such as co-infections, genetic and immun
ological host-factors, different strains of Helicobacter pylori ol others m
ay influence the data. Well designed case/control and randomized interventi
onal studies are still needed to assess the real role of Helicobacter pylor
i in vascular disorders.