AUTHOR=Sun Banruo , Wang Xuanping , McLarnon Michael Edmund David , Ding Yu , Liu Miao , Dai Wei , Wang Gangshi 

TITLE=Higher Prevalence of Non-thyroidal-Illness Syndrome in Elderly Male Patients With Active Helicobacter pylori Infection

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2021.682116

DOI=10.3389/fmed.2021.682116

ISSN=2296-858X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objective:</bold> It is currently unclear whether the <italic>Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)</italic> infection leads to associated alterations in thyroid functions and thyroidal illnesses. This study aims to analyse this relationship in an elderly male cohort over a five-year period.</p><p><bold>Design:</bold> A case retrospective study.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> A longitudinal study was designed to collect subjects (≥65 years old) receiving both a thyroid examination and <italic>H. pylori</italic> infection status determined by <sup>13</sup>C-urea breath test in 2013 at our unit. Subjects were followed every 1 to 2 years until December 2017 for laboratory results, visits to outpatient clinics/emergency departments etc. Blood tests and thyroid ultrasonography were performed to determine thyroid function and morphology.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> 356 male subjects with mean age 78.5 ± 9.8 years were included. Active <italic>H. pylori</italic> infection was positive in 88 subjects (24.7%). Thyroid function tests and ultrasonography showed similar patterns between <italic>H. pylori</italic> positive and negative groups. Non-thyroidal-illness syndrome (NTIS) was diagnosed in 30/210 (14%) patients who experienced acute illnesses and hospitalization over five-year follow-up. Notably, NTIS demonstrated significantly higher prevalence in the <italic>H. pylori</italic> positive group compared to the negative group (17.1 vs. 5.6%, <italic>P</italic> = 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that when age, APACHE II score and hemoglobin levels were adjusted, <italic>H. pylori</italic> status still has significant interrelationship with NTIS (OR = 3.497, <italic>P</italic> = 0.003).</p><p><bold>Conclusions:</bold> There is a positive association between chronic active <italic>H. pylori</italic> infection and NTIS prevalence in this elderly male cohort. Further studies are needed to elucidate the role of <italic>H. pylori</italic> infection on NTIS in elderly male patients.</p>