H. pylori eradication eases metabolic dysfunction, steatosis in NAFLD

Among patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), eradication treatment against Helicobacter pylori may help improve liver steatosis and metabolic parameters, a recent study has found.

The study included 200 NAFLD patients who were positive for H. pylori infection. Participants were randomly allocated to receive eradication treatment or to a corresponding control group. Outcomes were assessed using the FibroScan.

Before treatment, both intervention and control groups showed comparable figures in metabolic indices. At the 1-year follow-up, however, those who received eradication treatment demonstrated a significant drop in metabolic parameters such as fasting blood glucose (p<0.001), glycosylated haemoglobin (ps=0.001), insulin resistance (p=0.019), triglycerides (p=0.001), and body mass index (p=0.003), as compared with controls.

A similar effect was reported for inflammatory indices. After 1 year, eradication treatment led to significantly lower white blood cell count (p<0.001) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (p=0.045). Interleukin 6 and tumour necrosis factor alpha were both also significantly suppressed in the eradication arm.

Liver function, in contrast, did not significantly differ between treatment arms at 1 year.

“For patients subject to the same lifestyle management, treatment to eradicate H. pylori infection can further reduce the metabolic indices of NAFLD and the degree of liver steatosis,” the researchers said.

“We hope that additional well-designed large randomized controlled studies with longer follow-up durations will be performed to further explore the relationship between H. pylori infection and NAFLD patients,” they added.