Hulya Aksoy, Saime Ozbek Sebin
Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) does not cause only peptic ulcer, gastritis, dyspeptic symptomatology, low-grade mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma and gastric adenocarcinoma, it is also reported to be associated with many extragastrointestinal manifestations, such as hematological diseases, dermatologic diseases and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Because certain microbial agents including H pylori play important roles in atherosclerosis induced CVD. The mechanisms underlying atherosclerosis induced by H pylori are inflammation, coagulation, oxidative stress, lipid-lipoprotein metabolism, insulin resistance, obesity, endothelial dysfunction and hyperhomocysteinemia. This review summarized the literatures on the association of cardiovascular manifestations with H. pylori infection, and provided information about the etiopathogenesis of this association.