A systematic review and meta-analysis on the co-infection of Helicobacter pylori with intestinal parasites: public health issue or neglected correlation?

• Published in: International journal of environmental health research 2022-04, Vol.32 (4), p.808-818
• Main Authors: Taghipour, Ali, Bahadory, Saeed, Badri, Milad, Yadegar, Abbas, Mirsamadi, Elnaz Sadat, Mirjalali, Hamed, Zali, Mohammad Reza
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Coinfection - epidemiology; Cross-Sectional Studies; gastrointestinal complications; Helicobacter Infections - epidemiology; Helicobacter pylori; Humans; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic - epidemiology; intestinal parasites; Prevalence; Public Health
• ISSN: 0960-3123; 1369-1619
• DOI: 10.1080/09603123.2020.1798890

The current study was conducted to assess the prevalence and odds ratio (OR) of co-infection of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and intestinal parasites (IPs). English databases were searched. A total of 18 studies including 14 studies with cross-sectional design (a total of 3739 participants) and 4 studies with case-control design (397 patients and 320 controls) met the eligibility criteria. The pooled prevalence of H. pylori, intestinal parasite infections (IPIs), and their co-infections in different populations were 48.3% (95% CI, 34.1-62.8%), 15.4% (95% CI, 10-22.8%), and 11% (95% CI, 6.7-17.6%), respectively. The co-infection of H. pylori and Giardia was 7.6% (95% CI, 4.9-11.7%). Although statistically not significant, the risk of co-infection of H. pylori and IPIs was higher in case group compared to control group (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 0.77-3.25). The overlaps between H. pylori and IPIs in countries with lower human development index (HDI) and income levels were high.