| Summary: | Objective: <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are both pandemic infections with variable geographic prevalence rates. <i>H. pylori</i>–HIV co-infection at the regional and sub-regional levels with a perspective on gastric cancer incidence is discussed. Design: Based on PRISMA guidelines, national data for <i>H. pylori</i>, HIV, and <i>H. pylori</i>–HIV co-infection were collected for the general population through December 2019. Joint temporal and geographical data for <i>H. pylori</i> and HIV infections in 48 countries were available and used to generate <i>H. pylori</i>–HIV co-infection estimates by cross-sectional analysis. These data were compared with gastric carcinoma statistics for the same countries. Results: The estimated global prevalence rate of <i>H. pylori</i>–HIV co-infection was 1.7 per 1000 people, representing 12.6 million people. Prevalence according to region was, in decreasing order, sub-Saharan Africa 21.9‰, Eastern Europe/Central Asia 4.3‰, Latin America/Caribbean 2.0 ‰, North America/Western/Southern/Northern Europe 1.1‰, Asia/Pacific 0.8‰, and North Africa/Middle East 0.1 ‰. The incidence and mortality rates for gastric carcinoma were higher in East/Pacific Asia, Southern/Andean Latin America, and Eastern Europe regions, and the incidence appeared to be 1.8-fold greater in <i>H. pylori</i>–HIV-infected people in East Asia. Conclusions: The population at risk of <i>H. pylori</i>–HIV co-infection is estimated to be 12.6 million people (2015 reference year). The heterogeneity of <i>H. pylori</i>–HIV co-infection across regions and sub-regions does not show a clear association with gastric carcinoma. Other methodological approaches with analytical studies (cohort, case–control) are required to measure the potential effect of <i>H. pylori</i> infection and its treatment on the incidence of gastric carcinoma in the large HIV–<i>H. pylori</i>-positive cohort.
|
|---|