Association between Helicobacter pylori infection and irritable bowel syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the incidence of IBS has gradually increased, and it is considered as one of the most common functional gastrointestinal diseases. However, the etiology of IBS is still unclear, and expectations are rising for more targeted treatments. Many clinical trials have explored the link between Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) and IBS, with different conclusions. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to explore whether there is an association between H pylori and IBS, which is of great significance for targeted treatment of IBS. METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between H pylori and IBS. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Medline and the Cochrane Library to collect related studies. OR was used to describe the ratio of the probability of the H pylori infection occurring in IBS patients versus the controls. Heterogeneity was assessed by subgroup and meta-regression analysis. RESULTS: Eight studies, including 1861 patients, assessed the association between H pylori infection and IBS. The OR of H pylori in IBS patients compared to controls was 1.32 (95% CI: 0.94–1.87; P = 0.11). Subgroup analyses showed a difference between IBS patients diagnosed with Roman III criteria and those diagnosed with non-Roman III criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that H pylori may have a positive effect on the development of IBS. Although the differences were not statistically significant, there were significant differences among subgroups of patients. Considering the limitations and heterogeneity, high quality studies are needed to further explore the effect of H pylori on the development of IBS.