Association between body mass index and Helicobacter pylori infection in asymptomatic individuals: A cross-sectional study

We delineated the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and incidences of Helicobacter pylori infection in overweight (obese) and normal weight asymptomatic individuals. This cross-sectional study involved participants who had undergone health checkups for H. pylori infections between January 2013 and December 2017. The association between gender, age, BMI and H. pylori infection prevalence was investigated. In total, 41,454 subjects were enrolled in this study. The overall H. pylori infection prevalence was 42.5%, 48.0%, 50.7% and 54.9% in under weight, normal weight, pre-obese, and obese individuals, respectively. Pre-obesity/obesity (OR = 1.15; 95%CI 1.10 to 1.20; P < .001) was correlated with increased H. pylori infection prevalence compared to subjects with normal weight. Increased BMI (OR = 1.04; 95%CI 1.03 to 1.06; P < .001) was also correlated with increased H. pylori infection prevalence compared to individuals with normal weight. However, Subgroup analysis indicated that there are no relationship between BMI and H. pylori infection prevalence in individuals with age < 30 among all subjects (OR = 1.01; 95%CI 0.99 to 1.03; P = .282). Increased BMI is correlated with increased H. pylori infection prevalence among individuals with age of 30 or more years.