Association between Helicobacter pylori infection and cognitive impairment in the elderly

Background/purpose: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection has been positively associated with cognitive impairment. However, previous studies have shown inconsistent findings. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 587 elderly participants (age ≧ 65) from the annual elderly health checkup program at the National Taiwan University Hospital from 2011 to 2013. Both global and domain-specific cognition were assessed using various neuropsychiatric tests. Multivariable linear regression and logistic regression models were utilized to assess the association between the serum H. pylori IgG level and cognitive impairment. Results: Compared with the lowest quartile of H. pylori IgG (Q1), the highest quartile (Q4) was associated with lower scores on verbal fluency-vegetables (β = −0.24), domain-specific attention [digit span-forward: β = −0.19; odds ratio (OR) = 1.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.03–3.24], and attention factors (β = −0.20; OR= 2.67, 95% CI = 1.51–4.73). No significant association was observed for global cognition. Stratified analyses revealed that, among men, the highest quartile of serum H. pylori IgG (Q4) was associated with impaired scores on verbal fluency-vegetables (β = −0.38; OR = 3.01, 95% CI = 1.42–6.38). Conclusion: Our findings disclosed a positive association between serum H. pylori level and cognitive impairment, which provides important information for the primary prevention of cognitive impairment through the eradication of H. pylori.