The role of inflammatory cells in the association between helicobacter pylori and metabolic syndrome: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) infection may be related to metabolic disorders, with inflammation activation considered as a potential link. The study investigated the association between H. pylori infection and metabolic syndrome (MetS), and explored the potential role of inflammatory cells in this association. This study was conducted in a health check-up group from a tertiary hospital in northwest China. Logistic regression models were used to examine the association between H. pylori and MetS. Restricted cubic splines (RCS) were employed to examine both linear and nonlinear relationships between inflammatory markers and MetS. Additionally, the mediating role of inflammatory cells was examined. The study comprised 20,491 participants (9,586 women, 10,905 men). 32.5% was the infection rate for H. pylori . Univariate analysis showed that MetS and its five components were significantly associated to H. pylori infection. After controlling for covariates, H. pylori infection was positively associated with MetS (OR: 1.27, 95% CI: 1.17–1.38). Furthermore, H. pylori infection was significantly associated with central obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and elevated blood pressure (OR ranging from 1.11 to 1.17, all p < 0.05). However, no significant correlation was found between H. pylori infection and hyperglycemia. The RCS analysis showed that, with the exception of Monocyte-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (MLR), all other inflammatory markers show a nonlinear association with MetS. Exploratory mediation analysis suggested that leukocytes, lymphocytes, neutrophils, and monocytes accounted for 27.7%, 19.0%, 18.3%, and 6.9% of the statistical association between H. pylori infection and MetS, respectively. This study indicates that H. pylori infection was positively associated with MetS and its components (dyslipidemia, abdominal obesity, and elevated blood pressure). Inflammatory indices may be involved in this association.