Helicobacter pylori infection and pepsinogen levels have clinical significance in hypertension patients.

Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection is known to alter levels of pepsinogens (PG) and is correlated with several disease states, including gastric and cardiovascular diseases. This study sought to assess whether Hp infection is associated with hypertension as well as to identify the value of assessing the PG I/PG II ratio in patients with hypertension. The study included 396 individuals with hypertension who were assessed for infection with Hp by colloidal gold assay. Participants' weight, height, blood pressure, and serum lipids were measured, and participants were examined for the presence of renal or ocular damage. H. pylori infection status or PG I/PG II ratio were compared against other variables (e.g., body mass index, serum cholesterol, diastolic blood pressure) by t-test or ⇨(2) test, and Pearson's correlation analysis was used to identify associations. Consistent with other studies, the PG I/PG II ratio of patients with Hp infection was significantly lower than that of patients without Hp infection (P < 0.001). The serum total cholesterol and triglycerides of patients with Hp infection were significantly higher than those of patients without Hp infection (P < 0.001), and the PG I/PG II ratio was negatively correlated with total cholesterol (r=-0.61) and triglycerides (r=-0.56) levels. However, there was no significant difference in hypertension severity by Hp infection status or PG I/PG II ratio. Interestingly, the PG I/PG II ratio was significantly lower in patients with hypertensive nephropathy or hypertensive retinopathy than in patients without these symptoms (P < 0.05). The areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curve were 0.77 and 0.83 in the diagnosis of nephropathy and retinopathy, respectively. These findings indicate that the PG I/PG II ratio is lower in individuals with hypertensive nephropathy and hypertensive retinopathy. Thus, the detection of the PG I/PG II ratio may be valuable for diagnostic screening for hypertensive organ damage.