Association of Helicobacter pylori infection with osteoporosis risk in a physical examination population

Summary The association between Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) infection and osteoporosis risk remains equivocal. Our findings showed that H. pylori infection appears to have no effect on the risk of osteopenia and osteoporosis. Weight status may modify the association of H. pylori infection with low bone mass. Purpose To evaluate the association between baseline H. pylori infection and osteoporosis risk in the general population. Methods From January 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020, 1388 women and men aged over 50 years underwent a health examination. H. pylori infection was detected by the 13 C urea breath test. Subjects were classified as having normal bone mineral density (BMD), osteopenia, and osteoporosis according to dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Chi-square tests and multinomial logistic regression models were performed to analyze the associations of H. pylori infection with osteopenia and osteoporosis. Results Of the 1388 participants, 545 (39.3%) were H. pylori -positive. The prevalence rates of osteoporosis and osteopenia were 10.2% and 32.3%, respectively. No differences were observed in the rates of osteoporosis and osteopenia between H. pylori -positive and H. pylori -negative groups ( P > 0.05). The association for the trend between the H. pylori infection and osteoporosis was only seen in the nonoverweight subgroup (trend χ 2 = 5.455, P = 0.02). The odds ratio (OR) between H. pylori infection and osteoporosis was 1.31 (95% CI, 0.86–2.02, P = 0.211) after adjusting for sex, age, and body weight status. Conclusions We demonstrate that H. pylori infection is not an independent risk factor for osteopenia and osteoporosis. This study did not support the association of H. pylori infection with osteoporosis.