Association between Ulcerative Colitis and Helicobacter pylori Infection: A Case-Control Study

Introduction: Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) defined as chronic inflammation of the superficial mucosal layer of the large intestine. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and UC in Palestine. Methods: A total of 35 Palestinian patients of UC and 105 age-matched and gender-matched controls were retrospectively studied for a period of one year. Ulcerative Colitis diagnosis was based on both colonoscopy and biopsy. The presence of H. pylori in the stomach was tested by stool antigen test (HpSA). An interview-based data collection form was filled for all patients with UC before the test. Results: The overall positivity of H. pylori infection in UC patients was 14.3%, significantly lower than the control group, 41.9% (odds ratios (OR)=0.23, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.083-0.643, P -value=0.003). Interestingly, the presence of H. pylori was not correlated with the extension of UC ( P -value=0.44). Moreover, there were no relationships between the presence of H. pylori and age ( P -value=0.97), gender ( P- value=0.26), smoking ( P- value=0.08) and medication regimen ( P -value=0.80). Conclusion: The rate of H. pylori infection was significantly lower in UC patients compared with the control group suggesting a protective role of H. pylori against the occurrence of UC. Funding Information: Our research was funded by An-Najah National University. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: The study design was based on guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO), and ethical approval was obtained from the institutional review board (IRB) at An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine. An informed consent form was signed by all patients and control group who agreed to participate in the study.