Helicobacter Pylori sero-prevalence in asthma

Asthma is a very common respiratory disease which is characterized by the presence of cytokine-mediated airway inflammation leading to smooth muscle contraction, oedema and progressive airway damage in some cases. In light of our recent finding of an increased sere-prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in bronchiectasis, we have determined serum levels of H. pylori-specific IgG in asthmatic and control subjects. Altogether 90 consecutive asthmatic [mean age +/-SD 42.6 +/- 16 years and 52 female (F)] and 97 healthy control subjects (mean age +/-SD, 43.2 +/- 13.3 years and 51 female (F); P=0.78 and 0.39 respectively) were recruited prospectively. N. pylori sero-prevalence was not significantly different between asthmatic and control subjects (P>0.5). Serum H, pylori IgG levels did not correlate with FEV1 % predicted, FVC % predicted or duration of asthma (P>0.05). Similar to the results of previously published sero-epidemiological studies, there was a weak correlation between serum H. pylori IgG with increasing age (r = 0.43, P = 0.004). Despite the sero-epidemiological association of H. pylori infection with many inflammatory conditions, our data showed no such association for middle age asthmatic patients with mild intermittent asthma in our locality.