Helicobacter pylori seroprevalence in hepatitis C virus positive patients with cirrhosis - The Como cross-sectional study

Background. Liver cirrhosis is a significant cause of death in Italy and on e of the most frequent causes of hospitalization. Acute peptic ulcer and up per gastrointestinal bleeding reportedly occur in over 15% of cirrhotic pat ients. Since Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection strongly correlates with peptic ulcer, we sought to ascertain the seroprevalence of H. pylori i nfection in cirrhotic patients. Methods. In a cross-sectional study, we examined 52 consecutive patients (3 1 female and 21 male, age range 54-82, mean 68.7 years) suffering from hepa titis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhosis attending the Unit of Gastroenterolog y of the Valduce Hospital of Como (Italy). Results. The prevalence of antibodies against H. pylori was 86.5% (45/52) i n the cirrhotics. Of female patients 28/31 (90.3%) were seropositive as com pared to 17 of 21 (80.9%) of male patients. Conclusions. The very high prevalence of H. pylori infection may explain th e frequent occurrence of gastroduodenal ulcer in cirrhotic patients.