Implication of Cytotoxic Helicobacter pylori Infection in Autoimmune Diabetes

Background. type 1 diabetes (t1d) and type 2 diabetes (t2d) have been linked to helicobacter pylori infection,although results are conflicting. no previous study addressed a possible link between h. pylori infection and latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (lada). in this study,a correlation among h. pylori infection and the risk of autoimmune diabetes in comparison with t2d was investigated. methods. sera from 234 lada patients,105 patients with late-onset t1d,and 156 patients with t2d were analyzed for anti-h. pylori and the cytotoxin-associated antigen (caga) igg antibodies. results. h. pylori seroprevalence was comparable in lada (52%),late-onset t1d (45%),and t2d (49%) with no gender differences. the seroprevalence of caga igg was significantly higher in autoimmune diabetes (late-onset t1d: 45%,lada: 40%) compared to t2d (25%; p<0.028). conclusions. although h. pylori seroprevalence was similar in lada,t1d,and t2d,anti-caga positivity was significantly increased among patients with autoimmune diabetes,suggesting that more virulent h. pylori strains might be a trigger for immune mechanisms involved in their pathogenesis. © 2016 alessandro p. delitala et al.