The association between Helicobacter pylori infection and the risk for gout in hyperuricemia patients in China – A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Abstract Purpose: Helicobacter pylori infection has been reported to be associated with multiple metabolic diseases. However, the connection between H. pylori infection and gout has not been explored previously. Our study aimed to investigate the association of gout and H. pylori infection in hyperuricemia population. Patients and methods: This cross-sectional study was performed among the subjects who underwent health checkup in our health promotion center from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021. A total of 53629 subjects with a mean age of 44.2 years were included in this study. H. pylori infection was defined as a positive 13C-urea breath test. The effect of H. pylori infection on gout was assessed by multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: 720 subjects with gout and 15077 subjects with asymptomatic hyperuricemia (> 420 μmol/L in male and > 360 μmol/L in female) were enrolled. The prevalence rates of H. pylori infection, hyperuricemia and gout were 26.3%, 29.5%, 1.3%, respectively. The prevalence rate of H. pylori infection was significantly higher in subjects with gout than in those with asymptomatic hyperuricemia (35.0% vs. 27.2%; P＜0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that H. pylori infection was associated with an increased risk of gout independent of uric acid level in hyperuricemia population (odds ratio [OR]: 1.320, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.124-1.550, P =0.001). Conclusion: H. pylori infection is positively associated with gout in hyperuricemia population. The causal relationship and potential mechanism between H. pylori infection and gout warrants further investigation.