A systematic review and meta-analysis on the co-infection of <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> with intestinal parasites: public health issue or neglected correlation?
Ali Taghipour, Saeed Bahadory, Milad Badri, Abbas Yadegar, Elnaz Sadat Mirsamadi, Hamed Mirjalali, Mohammad Reza Zali
Abstract
The current study was conducted to assess the prevalence and odds ratio (OR) of co-infection of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and intestinal parasites (IPs). English databases were searched. A total of 18 studies including 14 studies with cross-sectional design (a total of 3739 participants) and 4 studies with case-control design (397 patients and 320 controls) met the eligibility criteria. The pooled prevalence of H. pylori, intestinal parasite infections (IPIs), and their co-infections in different populations were 48.3% (95% CI, 34.1–62.8%), 15.4% (95% CI, 10–22.8%), and 11% (95% CI, 6.7–17.6%), respectively. The co-infection of H. pylori and Giardia was 7.6% (95% CI, 4.9–11.7%). Although statistically not significant, the risk of co-infection of H. pylori and IPIs was higher in case group compared to control group (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 0.77–3.25). The overlaps between H. pylori and IPIs in countries with lower human development index (HDI) and income levels were high.