Is there a role for Helicobacter pylori infection in urological diseases?

INTRODUCTION

Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection is a focus of attention nowadays. It has been found to cause gastrointestinal disorders and also extra-intestinal disorders. The aim of this paper is to explore the role of H pylori in urological diseases and to keep urologists up to date in this subject.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Medline and PubMed were searched from 1950 to December 2007 for the following combined terms: Helicobacter pylori together with urology, urological diseases, kidney, kidney cancer, ureter, bladder, bladder cancer, prostate, prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia, urethra, seminal vesicle, testis, and testicular cancer.

RESULTS

Accumulating evidence is appearing in the literature relating H pylori infection to urological diseases. The most obvious is the implication of H pylori in inducing chronic cystitis leading to bladder lymphoma. In addition, some epidemiological studies have shown significant associations between infective chronic prostatitis and prostatic carcinoma.

CONCLUSION

A simple hypothetical model relating H pylori infection to prostate and bladder diseases is proposed to stimulate the collaborative work between the urologists and scientists to explore this field which is underinvestigated to date. If H pylori is found to have a significant role in urological diseases, prevention of bladder and prostate cancers by eradication of H pylori infection may become a reality like what happened in the treatment of peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer.