Objective: Several epidemiological and clinical reports have investigated the relationship between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and ischemic heart disease (IHD). All studies utilized for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection the antibody titre that is unable to distinguish an actual from a previous H. pylori infection.
Patients and methods: We report a retrospective analysis on 149 subjects, who underwent an esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy, in whom the search for H. pylori was histologically performed.
Results: The prevalence of IHD is not significantly different from that observed in H. pylori free patients (26% vs 21%, p = 0.527).
Conclusions: The mechanism underlying the possible role of H. pylori needs further investigation and prospective studies to further analyze the relationship between "active" H. pylori infection and ischemic heart disease were necessary.