Helicobacter pylori infection influences the severity of thrombocytopenia and its treatment response in chronic hepatitis B patients with compensatory cirrhosis: A multicenter, observational study.

The role ofHelicobacter pylori(H. pylori) infection on thrombocytopenia in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) related compensatory cirrhotic patients is unknown. We conducted an observational study to determine whetherH. pyloriplays a role in these patients. A total of 255 patients from three centers in China were enrolled in the study. All patients received nucleoside analogs (NA) therapy and were screened forH. pyloriinfection. Patients were divided into three groups based on theirH. pyloriinfection status and the therapy administered: patients withoutH. pyloriinfection who received NA therapy alone (N = 146); patients withH. pyloriinfection who received NA therapy alone (n = 48); and patients withH. pyloriinfection who receivedH. pylorieradication combined with NA therapy (N = 61). We observed that in CHB compensatory cirrhotic patients withH. pyloriinfection, the platelets count was significantly lower relative to uninfected patients (31 versus 60 × 109/L,p < 0.01). During a 2-year follow-up, the elevation in platelet count was significantly higher in HBV/H. pylorico-infected patients who received the NA andH. pylorieradication treatment compared to the other two groups (p < 0.01). It suggested thatH. pyloriinfection and eradication treatment combined with NA were independent risk factors associated with platelets response during treatment of thrombocytopenia in CHB compensatory cirrhosis (p < 0.01). In conclusion,H. pyloriinfection may associate with thrombocytopenia in CHB compensatory cirrhosis.H. pylorieradication combined with NA treatment may prove to be beneficial to CHB compensatory cirrhotic patients with thrombocytopenia who are infected withH. pylori. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]