Low serum pepsinogen II levels are closely linked with a risk of metabolic syndrome among healthy individuals with asymptomatic Helicobacter pylori infection: a cross-sectional study

Aim: Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection has a connection with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Pepsinogen II (PGII) is a marker for gastric epithelial function. The present research was aimed at determining the associations among serum PGII levels, Hp infection and MetS in healthy subjects. Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 1242 healthy people, including 545 subjects with asymptomatic Hp infection and 697 subjects without Hp infection. Based on the number of MetS components present, subjects with Hp infection were assigned to the following groups: group 1, no component (126 subjects); group 2, one or two components (260 subjects); and group 3, three or more components (159 subjects). Physical measurements and biochemical indices were recorded. Serum PGII levels were recorded using ELISA. SPSS and GraphPad Prism were used for statistical analyses. Results: Among subjects with Hp infection, serum PGII was evidently downregulated in group 3 compared with group 1 (14.95 ± 8.24 vs 17.97 ± 9.08 μg/l; p = 0.015). Serum PGII levels were correlated with an increased risk of MetS (odds ratio: 0.867; 95% CI: 0.772–0.974; p = 0.016), as indicated by the multivariate logistic regression analysis. Grouping subjects with Hp infection according to quartiles of serum PGII levels identified an evident difference in MetS prevalence among the four quartile-based groups (p = 0.047). Conclusions: Among healthy subjects with asymptomatic Hp infection, serum PGII levels were lower in those with MetS than in those without MetS. Serum PGII levels showed an independent and negative correlation with the risk of MetS in healthy subjects with Hp infection.