Seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients in a tertiary care hospital in Busan, South Korea

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection management has recently become more successful. While the life expectancy of HIV-infected patients increased, the prevalence of non-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-defining cancers, such as gastric cancer, also increased. Helicobacter pylori is associated with gastric cancer, the most common cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in South Korea, which has the highest incidence of chronic gastric mucosa inflammation. Here, the seroprevalence and risk factors of H. pylori infection in Korean HIV-infected patients were evaluated. Three hundred HIV-infected patients attending the Outpatient Department of Pusan National University Hospital were prospectively enrolled from October 2018 to February 2019. Socio-demographic information was evaluated using questionnaires, and the serological status of H. pylori infection was analyzed for anti-H. pylori IgG antibodies. The overall seropositivity of H. pylori was 32.7%, and 254 patients (84.7%) were male. The risk factors significantly associated with H. pylori seropositivity were: age of 40–49 years (odds ratio [OR] = 5.00; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.30–19.17), age of 50–59 years (OR = 3.93; 95% CI 1.05–14.73), CD4 cell counts of 350–500/μL (OR = 4.23; 95% CI 1.53–11.65), CD4 cell counts ≥500/μL (OR = 2.78; 95% CI 1.15–6.72), and a weekly average alcohol consumption of at least one alcoholic beverage (OR = 1.78; 95% CI 1.05–2.99). The seroprevalence of H. pylori is significantly associated with alcohol consumption, high CD4 cell count, and the age group of 40–59 years.