Nowadays, the relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection (HPI) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) remains controversial.
Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between HPI and IBS through a systematic review and meta-analysis based on the current evidence.
Methods: We performed a systematic literature search in electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library) by computer to identify all reports published before 8 August 2021. The odds ratio (OR) and confidence interval (CI) were calculated to evaluate the association between HPI and IBS. Subgroup analyses were conducted for further assessment and exploration of heterogeneity sources. In addition, we assessed publication bias through funnel plots, Egger's test, and Begg's test. Finally, we conducted a sensitivity analysis to evaluate the robustness of the results.
Results: Thirteen studies with 13,173 participants were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled OR of the association between HPI and IBS was 1.03 (95% CI [0.80,1.31]; p = 0.84). The adjusted OR of the association between HPI and IBS after excluding the studies with confounding factors defined by our team was 1.29 (95% CI [1.03,1.62]; p = 0.03). We found a positive association between HPI and IBS-D (diarrhea subtype) (OR: 1.54; 95% CI [1.22,1.95]; p = 0.0003). The OR of the relationship between cytotoxin-associated gene A (Cag A) positive HPI and IBS was 4.3 (95% CI [0.51,36.17]; p = 0.18).
Conclusions: The likelihood of HPI in IBS patients is relatively higher than that of non-IBS participants but not statistically significant, implying that HPI is not significantly associated with IBS, albeit we may underestimate this association. Moreover, we found a positive association between HPI and IBS-D. We also observed an increased likelihood of Cag-A positive HPI in IBS patients than that of non-IBS participants but not statistically significant.
Keywords: Helicobacter pylori; functional gastrointestinal disorders; irritable bowel syndrome; meta-analysis.