Eradication therapy may decrease the risk of immune thrombocytopenia after Helicobacter pylori infection: a retrospective cohort study in Taiwan

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori (HP) eradication therapy (HPE) is recommended for patients with unexplained immune thrombocytopenia (ITP); however, the role of HPE in preventing ITP in patients with HP infection remains unclear. Therefore, this study was designed to clarify it. METHODS: This study was conducted at a tertiary medical center and included all adult patients with HP infection between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2018. We compared the risk of developing ITP between patients with and without HPE. All patients were followed up until December 31, 2020. RESULTS: After excluding patients with thrombocytopenia, 1995 adult patients with HP infection, including 1188 patients with HPE and 807 patients without HPE, were included in this study. The mean age of the patients with HPE was 57.9 years, whereas that of those without HPE was 61.6 years. The percentage of males was 56% in patients with HPE and 59% in those without HPE. Patients without HPE had a higher risk of ITP than those with HPE after adjusting for age, sex, the Charlson Comorbidity Index, and comorbidities [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.76; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.16–2.68]. Stratified analyses showed that the higher risk was found only in males (adjusted OR: 1.70; 95% CI 1.03–2.80). In addition to HPE, male sex and anemia were independent predictors of ITP in patients with HP infection. CONCLUSION: This study showed that adult patients with HP infection not receiving HPE had a higher risk of developing ITP. We suggest that HPE should be considered, particularly in males and those who have anemia, to prevent ITP. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12876-023-02664-z.