Helicobacter Pylori Seropositivity in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis: What Does It Imply?

Firdevs Ulutaş; Veli Çobankara

doi:10.18621/eurj.1726121

Helicobacter Pylori Seropositivity in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis: What Does It Imply?

Abstract

Objectives: This study investigates clinical factors associated with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) seropositivity in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a condition in which H. pylori has been underexplored.

Methods: AS patients meeting the modified New York criteria, aged 18-65 years, without comorbidities and followed between 2022 and 2023, were included. Serum anti-H. pylori IgG and IgA antibodies were measured using ELISA and categorized as negative, positive, or highly positive based on titer levels.

Results: The cohort consisted of 243 patients, 36.8% males and 63.2% females, with a mean age of 46.6 years and a mean disease duration of 7.9 years. Logistic regression analysis revealed that increasing age significantly elevated the risk of both IgG and IgA seropositivity. Elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate was strongly associated with IgA positivity (Odds Ratio [OR]: 3.08, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 2.05-4.11), while hypomagnesemia (mean serum Mg: 1.95±0.09) also increased the likelihood of IgA seropositivity (OR: 2.82, 95% CI: 1.05-2.88). Notably, hip involvement emerged as a robust predictor of IgG seropositivity (OR: 3.48, 95% CI: 1.52-6.04), and a history of uveitis was linked to a 1.61-fold increased risk of IgG positivity.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that older AS patients with systemic inflammation or low magnesium levels are more likely to exhibit H. pylori infection. Moreover, hip involvement and uveitis may serve as relevant clinical markers warranting H. pylori screening in this population. These associations highlight potential pathogenetic links between microbial triggers and disease expression in AS.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

This study was approved by the Pamukkale University Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committeel (Decision No: 2019/20; date: 19.11.2019). All procedures were conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments. Informed consent was waived because of the retrospective nature of the study and the analysis used anonymous clinical data.

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Rheumatology and Arthritis

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Firdevs Ulutaş ^*
0000-0001-8441-5219
Türkiye

Veli Çobankara
0000-0001-5037-5327
Türkiye

Early Pub Date

August 13, 2025

Publication Date

-

Submission Date

June 24, 2025

Acceptance Date

August 9, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Number: Advanced Online Publication

DOI

https://doi.org/10.18621/eurj.1726121

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA42GE49XF

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

AMA

1.Ulutaş F, Çobankara V. Helicobacter Pylori Seropositivity in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis: What Does It Imply? Eur Res J. 2025;(Advanced Online Publication):533-542. doi:10.18621/eurj.1726121