The Study
Association of Helicobacter pylori Infection with Autoimmune Thyroid Disease in the Female Sex
This study found that women who had a long-term stomach bacteria infection were more likely to also have an autoimmune thyroid problem. But it doesn't prove the infection caused the thyroid problem — maybe something else caused both, or the thyroid problem came first.
Analysis score
Maximum 58 for a case-control study.
Where the score came from
A long-term stomach infection called H. pylori might trick the immune system into attacking the thyroid — but only in women, and only if the infection has been around for years.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 558 / 100
Quality score
Researchers compare people who have a condition (cases) with similar people who do not (controls), looking back in time for differences in exposure. Useful but more prone to bias.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — for women in this population, having a long-term stomach infection nearly doubles the odds of developing Graves’ disease, a serious autoimmune thyroid condition.
- 2Women with long-lasting H.
- 3pylori infection had a 39% higher chance of having Graves’ disease and a 32% higher chance of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
- 4Current infections showed no link.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Clinical Medicine
Year
2023
Authors
M. Dore, G. Fanciulli, A. Manca, G. Pes
Related Content
Claims (6)
Infection with Helicobacter pylori leads to Graves' disease by triggering an immune response that mistakenly targets the thyroid gland due to structural similarities between bacterial and thyroid proteins.
In Northern Sardinia, women with long-lasting Helicobacter pylori infection have a higher likelihood of developing autoimmune thyroid disease than men with the same infection.
People with an active Helicobacter pylori infection showing chronic-active gastritis have the same likelihood of having autoimmune thyroid disease as those without the infection.
Adult women from Northern Sardinia with long-lasting Helicobacter pylori infection, confirmed by gastric tissue changes, have a 34% higher likelihood of developing autoimmune thyroid disease compared to those without such infection, after accounting for age, body mass index, and smoking.
People with long-lasting Helicobacter pylori infection are more likely to have Graves’ disease than Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, based on statistical comparisons of infection rates in these patient groups.
Helicobacter pylori infection, whether recent or long-standing, does not correlate with non-autoimmune thyroid conditions such as goiter, thyroid nodules, or thyroid dysfunction caused by medical treatment.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.