Helicobacter pylori infection increases the risk of thyroid nodules in adults of Northwest China

Jia Di; Zhuang Ge; Qingwei Xie; Danfeng Kong; Sha Liu; Pengwei Wang; Jie Li; Ning Ning; Wei Qu; Rong Guo; Danyan Chang; Jun Zhang; Xiang-Hong Zheng

doi:10.3389/fcimb.2023.1134520

Helicobacter pylori infection increases the risk of thyroid nodules in adults of Northwest China

Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2023 Mar 31:13:1134520. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1134520. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Jia Di¹, Zhuang Ge¹, Qingwei Xie¹, Danfeng Kong¹, Sha Liu¹, Pengwei Wang¹, Jie Li², Ning Ning¹, Wei Qu¹, Rong Guo¹, Danyan Chang³, Jun Zhang³, Xiang-Hong Zheng¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
² Outpatient Department, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
³ Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.

Abstract

Background: Thyroid nodules (TNs) are very common in the adults of Northwest China. The role of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in TNs is poorly investigated and even with controversial conclusions. Our study aimed at highlighting the relationship between H. pylori infection and the risk of TNs.

Methods: 9,042 individuals were enrolled with thyroid ultrasonography and ¹⁴C-urea breath test (¹⁴C-UBT). Baseline characteristics and relevant covariates were obtained, including basic and laboratory indicators. After applying the exclusion criteria, 8,839 patients were included and divided into 2 groups: a cross-sectional study of single follow-up (n=8,711) and a retrospective cohort study of multiple follow-ups for 5 years (n=139).

Results: The prevalence of H. pylori infection and TNs was 39.58% and 47.94% in the adults of Northwest China, respectively. The prevalence of TNs was significantly higher among H. pylori-positive individuals than those without infection (52.55% vs. 44.92%, p<0.01). The result of binary logistic regression revealed that the crude odds ratio (OR) was 1.624 (95% CI 1.242~2.123) in Model 1 without adjustment compared to H. pylori-negative group, and was also positive in Model 2, 3, and 4 (Model 2: OR=1.731, 95% CI 1.294~2.316; Model 3: OR=2.287, 95% CI 1.633~3.205; Model 4: OR=2.016, 95% CI 1.390~2.922) after the adjustment. The data of 5-year follow-up showed that the annual incidence of TNs was significantly higher in individuals with persistent H. pylori infection than non-infected counterparts (all p<0.05).

Conclusions: H. pylori is an independent risk factor for TNs in the adults of Northwest China.

Keywords: Helicobacter pylori; Northwest China; adult; risk factor; thyroid nodules.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
China / epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Helicobacter Infections* / complications
Helicobacter Infections* / epidemiology
Helicobacter pylori*
Humans
Prevalence
Retrospective Studies
Risk Factors
Thyroid Nodule* / diagnostic imaging
Thyroid Nodule* / epidemiology

Grants and funding

This study was supported by grants from the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2022M712556) and the Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province, China (2022JQ-838).