Extragastric manifestations of Helicobacter pylori — are they relevant?

Helicobacter pylori has been linked conclusively to various disorders of the upper gastrointestinal tract. In addition, it has been proposed to be associated with a variety of conditions outside of the alimentary tract. The list of proposed ‘extragastric’ associations continues to grow despite the fact that H. pylori is a non-invasive organism whose infection is essentially confined to the surface of gastric-type mucosa.