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Common Bacteria Linked to Circulatory
Disease
(NY, Reuters Health, 7/19/06)
Dr. Vincenzo Pasceri of San Filippo Neri Hospital in Rome,
and team, reviewed 17 studies, encompassing 6,000
participants, that examined the link between cytotoxin-associated
gene A (CagA)-positive strains of H. pylori and circulatory
disease of the heart and brain. The investigators found that
13 studies tied infection with this bacteria to heart disease
and 4 other studies linked it to brain disease; whereas CagA-negative
strains of the bacteria showed no such correlations. These
findings suggest that infection with CagA-positive H. pylori
may be associated with increased risk of vascular disease.
(American Heart Journal, June
2006;151:1215-1222) |
Article Summary