Objectives:

iron deficiency anemia is a very common disease that affects a large part of the population; however, to date the factors associated with its appearance have not been accurately identified.

Methods:

To investigate the association between iron deficiency anemia and Helicobacter pylori infection, observational studies were analyzed through a systematic review and meta-analysis. The selection of studies was made from the Pubmed, SCOPUS and EMBASE databases. Infection was identified through multiple diagnostic methods (urea breath test, immunoglobulin antibody test, stool antigen test, endoscopy), and anemia was defined by low hemoglobin concentrations. The quantitative synthesis of the data, using a randomization model, generated Odds Ratios (OR) as a measure of association, while the heterogeneity of the findings was assessed with the I-square test.

Results:

The synthesis of the seven selected studies demonstrated an association between the two variables, with an OR odds ratio of 2.20 (95% CI: 1,21-3,99). On the other hand, the degree of heterogeneity detected between the effects of the different studies was classified as moderate to high.

Conclusions:

The association between Helicobacter pylori and iron deficiency anemia was statistically significant in most of the studies reviewed. However, the authors agree that the small number of studies on the subject makes it imperative to carry out new studies to deepen this finding.

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