The eradication of the gastric bacterial infection Helicobacter pylori could play an important role in improving symptoms for people who have a genetic disorder known as hereditary angioneurotic oedema (HAO), conclude authors of a research letter in this week’s issue of THE LANCET.
Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection is thought to be a causal factor in various skin disorders. Henriette Farkas and colleagues from Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary, assessed the frequency of H pylori infection in 65 patients with HAO (non-itchy swellings caused by non-histamine like mediators; the disorder can be serious if swelling occurs in the face, throat, larynx or gastrointestinal lining).
The investigators identified 19 of 65 HAO patients with H pylori infection. The frequency of abdominal symptoms was substantially higher in the infected group. All patients with infection, and 11 of 46 without infection, had a history of recurrent episodes of acute abdominal pain (a common symptom of HAO). H pylori infection was successfully eradicated in 18 patients. In nine of 19 patients with dyspepsia, the frequency of episodes decreased from 100 over 10 months before H Pylori eradication to 19 during the 10-month follow-up period. The investigators conclude that screening for and eradication of H pylori infection seems to be justified in patients with HAO.
Contact: Dr Henriette Farkas, Semmelweis University, Kútvölgyi Clinical Centre, Allergology & Angioedema Outpatient Clinic, H-1125 Budapest, Kútvölgyi út 4, Hungary; T) +361 212 9351; F) +361 212 9351; E) farkash@kut.sote.hu
Journal
The Lancet