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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Thyroid Endocrinology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1482073
This article is part of the Research Topic Thyroid hormones and diet View all 7 articles

Association between Helicobacter pylori infection and serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroxine (T4) in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2000

Provisionally accepted
Ting Lu Ting Lu Shun shun Lu Shun shun Lu Jie qiong Lin Jie qiong Lin Xiao na Shao Xiao na Shao Da hua Chen Da hua Chen Jianwei Shen Jianwei Shen *
  • Ningbo Medical Centre Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has been increasingly implicated in extra-gastric diseases. Current evidence regarding the association between serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroxine (T4), and H. pylori infection remains inconclusive. Consequently, this study aimed to explore the correlation between the TSH, T4 levels, and H. pylori infection in a US-based population sample. Methods: Data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), comprising 971 participants aged 30-85 years from 1999 to 2000, were analyzed. Binary logistic regression was employed to analyze the correlation between H. pylori and TSH, T4 levels. The impact of TSH and T4 on H. pylori infection was further assessed using restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis. In addition, subgroup analysis stratified by sex and age were conducted.Results: Subjects with H. pylori seropositivity demonstrated lower serum TSH levels and higher serum T4 levels compared to those with H. pylori seronegative. A significant positive correlation was identified between H. pylori seropositivity and T4 levels with increasing quartiles of hormonal levels in both univariate regression models (Q4 vs Q1: OR=1.483; 95% CI, 1.033-2.129) and multivariate regression models (Q4 vs Q1: OR=1.004; 95% CI, 0.981-1.026). Conversely, a negative correlation was observed between H. pylori seropositivity and TSH levels with increasing quartiles of hormonal levels in univariate regression models (Q4 vs Q1: OR=0.579; 95% CI, 0.403-0.831) and in multivariate regression models (Q4 vs Q1: OR=0.580; 95% CI, 0.389-0.866). In stratified analyses, the adjusted association of serum T4 levels with H. pylori seropositive was statistically significant among males (T4: Q4 vs Q1: OR=2.253; 95% CI, 1.311-3.873), age over 68 years in TSH levels (Q4 vs Q1: OR=0.434; 95 % CI, 0.206-0.911), age 41~54 years in T4 levels (Q4 vs Q1: OR=4.965; 95% CI, 2.071-11.903). RCS analysis revealed a non-liner relationship between TSH levels and H. pylori infection. Notably, when TSH < 0.98 iu/ml, the likelihood of H. pylori infection significantly increased.Lower TSH and higher T4 levels were associated with H. pylori infection, particularly among males and elderly individuals.

    Keywords: Helicobacter pylori infection, Thyroid stimulating hormone, Thyroxine, NHANES, cdc

    Received: 17 Aug 2024; Accepted: 13 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Lu, Lu, Lin, Shao, Chen and Shen. 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: Jianwei Shen, Ningbo Medical Centre Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo, China

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