BACKGROUND/AIMS: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection has been associated 
with several vascular obstructive disorders. The infection induces the 
production of proinflammatory cytokines that could increase platelet aggregates 
in circulation. The aim of this case-controlled study was to evaluate the 
prevalence of H. pylori infection in patients with acute ischemic stroke not 
related to cardiac causes.
METHODOLOGY: A group of 80 consecutive patients (58 males, age range: 49-65 
years) with acute ischemic stroke was studied. All patients received a cranial 
CT and/or brain magnetic resonance imaging scan, extracranial vessel duplex 
ultrasonography, and transthoracic echocardiography. H. pylori infection was 
diagnosed by means of both 13C urea breath test and IgG antibodies to H. pylori. 
A group of 320 blood donors (232 males and 88 females, age range: 49-65 years) 
matched for sex and age served as controls. Among the patients, we investigated 
the presence of hypertension, cholesterol and glucose levels in serum, 
fibrinogen in plasma and the smoking habit.
RESULTS: The presence of H. pylori infection was higher in patients than in 
controls: 64/80 (80%) versus 190/320 (59.4%) (P < 0.001); when analyzed for sex 
in 45/58 (77.5%) among male patients and in 139/232 (59.9%) among controls (P < 
0.05); of the females 19 out of 22 (86.3%) patients were infected at variance 
with only 51/88 (57.9%) of the controls (P < 0.05). Classical risk factors for 
stroke did not differ among patients with and without H. pylori infection. H. 
pylori infection was not differently associated with current smoking, serum 
total cholesterol and glucose levels, fibrinogen value in plasma and 
hypertension when compared to the H. pylori-negative status.
CONCLUSIONS: H. pylori infection appears to be significantly more frequent in 
middle-aged patients with acute ischemic stroke than in controls.