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<i>Helicobacter pylori</i> Infection and Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases: The Role of Virulent Strains

Aim: To verify a possible association between overall <i>H. pylori</i> and CagA+ <i>H. pylori</i> infection and autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITDs). Methods: Consecutive patients with AITDs admitted to one single centre of Endocrinology during one solar year were examined. Th...

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Main Authors: Natale Figura (Author), Giovanni Di Cairano (Author), Elena Moretti (Author), Francesca Iacoponi (Author), Annalisa Santucci (Author), Giulia Bernardini (Author), Stefano Gonnelli (Author), Nicola Giordano (Author), Antonio Ponzetto (Author)
Format: Book
Published: MDPI AG, 2019-12-01T00:00:00Z.
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Summary:Aim: To verify a possible association between overall <i>H. pylori</i> and CagA+ <i>H. pylori</i> infection and autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITDs). Methods: Consecutive patients with AITDs admitted to one single centre of Endocrinology during one solar year were examined. The diagnoses were Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) in 76, Graves&#8217; Disease (GD) in 39, and aspecific thyroiditis (AT) in 44 patients. Controls were 136 individuals without AITDs. Median values of fT3, fT4, anti-thyreoglobulin (Tg) antibodies, IL-1&#946;, IL-6, and TNF-&#945; in patients were compared with those in controls. <i>H. pylori</i> infection and CagA status were determined serologically. Structural homology of some thyroid proteins with <i>H. pylori</i> antigens was investigated. Results: <i>H. pylori</i> infection prevalence was significantly increased in GD (66.6%) and HT (64.4%) patients, vs. 29.4% of controls and 34.0% of AT. CagA seropositivity was significantly more frequent in GD (46.1%) and HT (46.9%) infected patients, vs. infected controls (20%). fT3 and fT4 median values were significantly decreased in infected CagA+ GD patients vs. uninfected GD patients. IL-1&#946; median values were increased in patients respect to controls, independently of the clinical form of AITD. Median values of IL-6, TNF-&#945; and anti-Tg autoantibodies in CagA infected patients were significantly higher than those measured in infected CagA&#8722; and uninfected patients and in infected CagA+ controls. The examined thyroid proteins shared putative conserved domains with numerous bacterial antigens. Conclusions: Overall <i>H. pylori</i> and CagA+ <i>H. pylori</i> infection were associated with GD and HT, putatively through an increased inflammatory status and molecular mimicry.
Item Description:2079-6382
10.3390/antibiotics9010012

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