The effect of helicobacter pylori eradication on macrophage migration inhibitory factor, c-reactive protein and fetuin-a levels

OBJECTIVES:

To determine the effect of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication on blood levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), macrophage migration inhibitory factor and fetuin-A in patients with dyspepsia who are concurrently infected with H. pylori.

METHODS:

H.pylori infection was diagnosed based on the ¹⁴C urea breath test (UBT) and histology. Lansoprazole 30 mg twice daily, amoxicillin 1 g twice daily, and clarithromycin 500 mg twice daily were given to all infected patients for 14 days; ¹⁴C UBT was then re-measured. In 30 subjects, migration inhibitory factor, fetuin-A and hs-CRP levels were examined before and after the eradication of H. pylori infection and compared to levels in 30 healthy subjects who tested negative for H. pylori infection.

RESULTS:

Age and sex distribution were comparable between patients and controls. Migration inhibitory factor and hs-CRP levels were higher, and fetuin-A levels were lower, in H. pylori-infected patients (p<0.05). Following eradication of H. pylori, migration inhibitory factor and hs-CRP levels were significantly decreased, whereas fetuin-A levels were increased. However, eradication of the organism did not change lipid levels (p>0.05).

CONCLUSION:

These findings suggest that H. pylori eradication reduces the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as migration inhibitory factor and hs-CRP and also results in a significant increase in anti-inflammatory markers such as fetuin-A.