Background/aims: This study examined the association between eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection.
Methods: A single tertiary referral center case-control study was performed. EoE patients diagnosed at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital from July 2003 to March 2022 were reviewed retrospectively. Forty-five EoE patients were included in the analysis. For each EoE patient, two age and sex-matched normal controls were selected randomly from an outpatient population who received upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.
Results: Although 17 out of 90 (18.9%) controls had a H. pylori infection, only two out of 45 (4.4%) EoE patients showed evidence of a H. pylori infection. EoE was inversely associated with a H. pylori infection (odds ratio 0.20, 95% confidence interval 0.04-0.91, p=0.044).
Conclusions: An inverse association was observed between H. pylori infection and EoE. Further prospective studies will be needed to validate the protective effects of H. pylori infection for EoE.
Keywords: Eosinophilic esophagitis; Helicobacter pylori; Hygiene hypothesis.