Improvement in lipid and haemostasis patterns after Helicobacter pylori infection eradication in type 1 diabetic patients

Helicobacter pylori has been implicated in the cardiovascular risk of diabe tic patients. The aim of our study was to investigate whether the Helicobac ter pylori Infection plays a role in the lipid and haemostasis patterns of type 1 diabetic patients. Twenty nine patients with type 1 diabetes mellitu s and H. pylori Infection were enrolled (Chlamydia pneumoniae negative). Th e H. pylori infection status was assessed by serology and urease breath tes t. In all patients levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL cholester ol, LDL cholesterol, lipoprotein (a) (Lpa) C reactive protein (CRP), fibrin ogen, thrombin/antithrombin III complex (TAT), plasminogen activator inhibi tor type 1(PAI-1), tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and von Willebrand a ntigen were measured. All patients were evaluated before and after H. pylor i eradicating treatment with amoxicillin, clarithromycin and omeprazole. Tw enty two patients were eradicated and seven remained infected. In H. pylori eradicated patients, HDL cholesterol increased (59.7+/-18.9 mg /dl vs 65.2+/-15.9 mg/dl, P < 0.05) and lipoprotein (a) decreased (23.1+/-1 4.0 mg/dl vs 18.3+/-12.3 mg/dl, P < 0.05), after treatment. After H. pylori eradication, the levels of CRP and TAT decreased (48+/-0.7 ng/l vs 3.3+/-0 .4 ng/l; P < 0.05), (27.7+/-44.7 mu g/ml vs 2.1+/-1.4 mu g/ml P < 0.05), re spectively. The decrease in TAT was higher in the group of H. pylori (+) pa tients with higher levels of TAT (TAT > 20 ng/ml, 92.8+/-41.6 ng/ml vs 1.9/-2.0 ng/ml, P < 0.005; TAT 4-20 ng/ml; 10.1+/-5.2 ng/ml vs 2.2+/-0.6 ng/ml , P < 0.05). These changes did not occur in patients without H. pylori erad ication. Eradication of H. pylori infection in type 1 diabetic patients mod ifies some parameters of lipid and haemostasis patterns, (increase of HDL-c holesterol, reduction of Lpa and decrease of CRP and TAT) and so contribute s to improvement of cardiovascular risk factors in these patients.