Helicobacter pylori and the risk of dementia: A population-based study

Introduction: Helicobacter pylori infection might increase risk of dementia, but available evidence is inconsistent, and longitudinal studies are sparse. We investigated the association between H. pylori serology and dementia risk in a population-based cohort. Methods: Between 1997 and 2002, we measured H. pylori serum IgG titers in 4215 nondemented participants of the Rotterdam Study with a mean age of 69 years. We determined the association between H. pylori at baseline and dementia incidence until 2015, per natural log (U/mL) increase in titer, and for seropositive/seronegative, using Cox models adjusting for cohort, sex, age, education, and cardiovascular risk factors. Results: During a median follow-up of 13.3 years, 529 participants developed dementia, of which 463 had Alzheimer's disease. H. pylori was not associated with risk of dementia (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval] for antibody titer: 1.04 [0.90–1.21]; for seropositivity 1.03 [0.86–1.22]), or Alzheimer's disease. Discussion: In this community-dwelling population, H. pylori was not associated with dementia risk.

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