Cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases are an important cause of mortality in 
industrialized countries. "Classical" risk factors cannot fully explain 
epidemiological variations of these diseases. From several years infections have 
been linked to ischemic vascular events and recent publications pointed to the 
role of Helicobacter pylori, a Gram negative bacterium, involved in the 
pathogenesis of gastritis and peptic ulcer. Results on the association between 
this bacterium and acute myocardial infarction or stroke are controversial, due 
to the degree of studies heterogeneity. There is the need for extensive 
prospectic studies to evaluate the incidence of these diseases in relation to 
the presence of Helicobacter pylori infection. Interventional randomized studies 
employing an antibiotic treatment for patients affected by ischemic vascular 
diseases will rapidly answer the question of wheather Helicobacter pylori has a 
causal role in the pathogenesis of acute myocardial infarction and ischemic 
stroke.