Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2020 Dec 11;99(50):e22975.
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000022975.

Association between Helicobacter pylori infection and irritable bowel syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Chenyu Li  1   2 , Yujun Shuai  1   2 , Xiaodong Zhou  1 , Hongxia Chen  3
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Association between Helicobacter pylori infection and irritable bowel syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Chenyu Li et al. Medicine (Baltimore). .

Abstract

Background: In recent years, the incidence of IBS has gradually increased, and it is considered as one of the most common functional gastrointestinal diseases. However, the etiology of IBS is still unclear, and expectations are rising for more targeted treatments. Many clinical trials have explored the link between Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) and IBS, with different conclusions. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to explore whether there is an association between H pylori and IBS, which is of great significance for targeted treatment of IBS.

Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between H pylori and IBS. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Medline and the Cochrane Library to collect related studies. OR was used to describe the ratio of the probability of the H pylori infection occurring in IBS patients versus the controls. Heterogeneity was assessed by subgroup and meta-regression analysis.

Results: Eight studies, including 1861 patients, assessed the association between H pylori infection and IBS. The OR of H pylori in IBS patients compared to controls was 1.32 (95% CI: 0.94-1.87; P = 0.11). Subgroup analyses showed a difference between IBS patients diagnosed with Roman III criteria and those diagnosed with non-Roman III criteria.

Conclusions: Our study suggests that H pylori may have a positive effect on the development of IBS. Although the differences were not statistically significant, there were significant differences among subgroups of patients. Considering the limitations and heterogeneity, high quality studies are needed to further explore the effect of H pylori on the development of IBS.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram for identifying eligible studies to include in the meta-analysis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot of H pylori infection rate in IBS patients vs healthy controls.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plots of stratified analyses by race.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest plots of stratified analyses by method of H pylori diagnosis.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Forest plots of stratified analyses by method of IBS diagnosis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. JR M. A symptom-based approach to making a positive diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome with constipation. Int J Clin Pract 2006;60:57–63. - PubMed
    1. Surdea-Blaga T, Băban A, DL D. Psychosocial determinants of irritable bowel syndrome. World J Gastroenterol 2012;18:616–26. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chang FY, CL L. Irritable bowel syndrome in the 21st century: perspectives from Asia or South-east Asia. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2007;22:4–12. - PubMed
    1. Longstreth GF, Thompson WG, Chey WD, et al. Functional bowel disorders. Gastroenterology 2006;130:1480–91. - PubMed
    1. Müller-Lissner SA, Bollani S, Brummer RJ, et al. Epidemiological aspects of irritable bowel syndrome in Europe and North America. Digestion 2001;64:200–4. - PubMed