SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Med.
Sec. Gastroenterology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1573299
Association of Helicobacter pylori infection with the risk of neurodegenerative disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Provisionally accepted
- 1Wuxing District People's Hospital, Huzhou, China
- 2Huzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
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Objective: The pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases is complex, involving multiple factors, including genetic, environmental, and lifestyle elements. Recent studies have suggested that infectious agents may act as important triggers for neurodegenerative diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the association between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and the risk of neurodegenerative disorders through a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing literature.Methods: A systematic search was conducted across the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases for studies published up to December 2024. The combined effect sizes were expressed as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and were calculated using a random-effects model. Further exploratory analyses included sensitivity analyses, subgroup analyses, and assessment of publication bias.Results: Forty-one studies involving 159,220 participants were selected for the meta-analysis. We found that H. pylori infection was associated with an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease (OR: 1.70; 95% CI: 1.36–2.13; P < 0.001), all-cause dementia (OR: 1.56; 95% CI: 1.24–1.96; P < 0.001), and Alzheimer’s disease (OR: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.01–2.02; P = 0.045). However, H. pylori infection was not associated with the risk of multiple sclerosis (OR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.59–1.11; P = 0.193). Sensitivity analysis suggested that H. pylori infection might play a protective role in the subsequent risk of multiple sclerosis. Subgroup analyses indicated that the association between H. pylori infection and neurodegenerative disorders may vary based on country, study design, H. pylori detection technique, and study quality.Conclusion: This study found that H. pylori infection may be associated with an elevated risk of Parkinson’s disease, all-cause dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Keywords: H. pylori infection, Parkinson's disease, All-cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Meta-analysis
Received: 08 Feb 2025; Accepted: 15 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Du, Shen, Zhou, Wu and Ai. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Zongyao Ai, Huzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.