Helicobacter pylori Infection Increases Risk for Colonic Neoplasms

Small studies have associated Helicobacter pylori infection with an increased risk for colorectal neoplasia. The current study is by far the largest to address the topic. Investigators evaluated results of colonoscopy and esophagogastroduodenoscopy for 156,000 patients using data from a specialized referral pathology laboratory that receives biopsy specimens from outpatient endoscopy centers in the U.S.

H. pylori gastritis was associated with increased risk for all types of polyps examined: hyperplastic polyps (odds ratio, 1.06), adenomas (OR, 1.29), villous elements or high-grade dysplasia (OR, 1.31), and adenocarcinoma (OR, 1.93). Intestinal metaplasia in the stomach was also associated with increased risk for each type of colorectal neopl…