Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori Infection and its Relation with Body Mass Index in a Chinese Population

BackgroundHelicobacter pylori infection is highly prevalent worldwide. The association between obesity and H.pylori infection is controversial in the literature. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of H.pylori infection and its relation with body mass index (BMI) in a Chinese population. Materials and methodsA cross-sectional study was performed among adults who underwent health checkups at the First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University in 2013. The prevalence of H.pylori infection was examined by C-13 urea breath tests, and the association between prevalence of H.pylori infection and BMI was analyzed. ResultsOf the 8820 participants enrolled, 3859 (43.8%) were positive for H.pylori infection. H.pylori-positive participants had a more unfavorable metabolic profile than H.pylori-negative participants. Overweight/obese participants showed a higher prevalence of H.pylori infection than that of lean participants, and a positive linear correlation between BMI and prevalence of H.pylori infection was observed. Both unadjusted and adjusted analysis revealed that BMI was significantly associated with risk factors of H.pylori infection. ConclusionsOur results showed that BMI was significantly and positively associated with H.pylori infection, and a high BMI was associated with an increased risk of the infection.