Relation of Helicobacter pylori infection to 13-year mortality and incident ischemic heart disease in the caerphilly prospective heart disease study

Associations have been suggested between Helicobacter pylori seropositivity, cardiovascular risk factors, and ischemic heart disease (IHD). The effect of this common infection on mortality is uncertain. Plasma specimens collected during 1979 to 1983 from 1796 men in Caerphilly, South Wales, were analyzed for IgG antibodies to H pylori. Cause of death and occurrence of incident IHD events were ascertained over an average of 13.7 years from death certificates, hospital records, and ECG changes at 5-yearly follow-up examinations. Seventy percent of men were seropositive. The prevalence of IHD at entry was similar in men with and without H pylori antibodies (odds ratio [OR], 1.10; 95% CI, 0.87 to 1.40). Seropositivity was significantly (P