Infection with Helicobacter pylori and leukocyte response in patients withmyocardial infarction

To test whether Helicobacter pylori may to the inflammatory response follow ing myocardial infarction, the levels of IgG antibodies to Helicobacter pyl ori and some parameters of leukocyte activity were measured in 63 patients and 61 comparable controls. Helicobacter pylori-positive patients showed a significantly higher expression of the adhesion molecule LFA-1 on neutrophi ls than Helicobacter pylori-negative patients (433+/-29.0 vs. 398.8+/-38.9 mean fluorescence channels; P<0.0001), whereas no significant difference fo r any parameters tested was found in control subjects. These data suggest a role of Helicobacter pylori in inducing a leukocyte response following myo cardial infarction.