Helicobacter pylori infection in Chinese patients with atrial fibrillation

De-Zhao Wang,1 Wei Chen,1 Song Yang,2 Jun Wang,3 Qun Li,1 Qiang Fu,2 Shi-Jing Li,3 Bu-Xing Chen1 1Department of Cardiology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, 2Department of Ultrasonography, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, 3Department of Cardiology, Beijing Mentougou District Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China Objective: To explore the relationship between Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection and atrial fibrillation (AF) in Chinese patients.Methods: A total of 285 hospitalized patients with AF and 300 patients from Health Screening Center who matched age and sex with AF group were enrolled. AF patients were divided into two groups: the short-standing AF category (less than a year) and the long-standing AF category (more than a year). All patients had laboratory testing of 13C urea breath test, high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and left atrial diameter (LAD). We analyzed the difference of these factors in all groups and explored the correlation between Hp infection and AF using logistic regression analysis.Results: Both AF groups had more hypertension, diabetes, and Hp infection than the control group. The Hp value and the hs-CRP level in patients with long-standing AF were higher than those in the short-standing AF and the control groups (for Hp value: P5 mg/L, and LAD >36 mm were significantly related to long-standing AF.Conclusion: The values of Hp in patients with long-standing AF were significantly higher than those in short-standing AF and control groups. Hp δ value ≥4‰ is an independent predictor for long-standing AF. Keywords: high sensitivity C-reactive protein, left atrial diameter,13C urea breath testA Letter to the Editor has been received and published for this article.