April 13, 2006

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., -- A UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) researcher is investigating a potentially significant link between a very common stomach bacteria and the incidence of heart disease among African-Americans. The bacteria, helicobacter pylori or H. pylori, is found in the lining of the stomach.

Scientists have long known of H. pylori, but only in the past 10 years has it been recognized as a potential health threat. It causes stomach ulcers and gastrointestinal cancer and may play a role in the incidence of many other diseases.

“H. pylori causes inflammation, and inflammation can contribute to other diseases,” said Mohammad A. Khaled, Ph.D., professor of nutrition sciences and primary investigator of UAB’s ongoing study of the bacterium.

H. pylori is endemic in the Indian subcontinent , with as much as 90 percent of the population affected, Khaled said. That could explain why people there have such high rates of chronic diabetes and heart disease. As many as half of all African-Americans are infected with the bacteria, a much higher percentage than found among whites in the United States.

“Not everyone infected with H. Pylori gets sick,” Khaled said. “Some strains are more virulent than others and some people have a natural resistance.”

Khaled’s study will screen African-American study participants for the more virulent strains of H. pylori and look for evidence of inflammation and heart. Those with virulent strains will be treated with antibiotics and followed for two years.

Khaled said that H. pylori is found in far too many people in the world to make it practical to treat everyone who is infected, but those who prove to be at high risk for developing cancer, heart disease or diabetes associated with H. pylori infection could be treated. The study is funded by the American Heart Association.