Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. IBS may represent a primary disorder of gastrointestinal motility accompanied with motor dysfunction in various extraintestinal sites. Recent studies suggest that IBS is associated with bronchial hyper-responsiveness and bronchial asthma might be more prevalent in IBS patients than in control subjects. The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of IBS in a cohort of asthmatic patients. We evaluated 150 patients with bronchial asthma (71 males and 79 females, aged 45.1+/-14.9 years) and two control groups including 130 patients with other pulmonary disorder and 120 healthy subjects. All subjects enrolled (asthmatic and controls) completed the Greek version of the Bowel Disease Questionnaire (BDQ). BDQ is a, previously validated, self-report instrument to measure gastrointestinal symptoms. Diagnosis of IBS was based on Rome II criteria. The IBS prevalence was significantly higher in asthmatics (62/150, 41.3%) than in subjects with other pulmonary disorders (29/130, 22.3%, P<0.001) and healthy ones (25/120, 20.8%, P<0.001). For all subjects studied, the prevalence of IBS was significantly higher in females (78/214, 36.4%) than in males (38/186, 20.4%, P<0.001). The IBS prevalence in asthmatic males was 29.5% vs. 15.2% in male patients with other pulmonary disorders (P=0.002) and 14.2% in male healthy subjects (P=0.002). The IBS prevalence in asthmatic females was 51.8% vs. 28.1% in females patients with other pulmonary disorders (P<0.001) and 26.5% in females healthy subjects (P<0.001). None of the asthma medications were associated with increased or decreased likelihood of IBS. We conclude that patients with bronchial asthma have an increased prevalence of IBS. Further studies are needed to clarify the potential pathogenetic mechanisms underlying the association between IBS and asthma.

An increased seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and especially of the high virulent cytotoxin-associated gene-A (CagA) positive strains has been found in several extragastroduodenal pathologies, characterized by activation of inflammatory mediators. Moreover, it has been reported that the risk of chronic bronchitis may be increased in H. pylori infected patients. The aim of the present study was to assess the seroprevalence of H. pylori and in particular of CagA-positive virulent strains in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We evaluated 126 COPD patients (88 males and 38 females, aged 61.3+/-8.1 years) and 126, age and sex-matched, control subjects. All subjects enrolled underwent an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) IgG serologic test for H. pylori and CagA protein. The prevalence of H. pylori infection in patients and controls was 77.8% and 54.7%, respectively (P<0.001) and that of CagA-positive H. pylori infection was 53.9% and 29.3%, respectively (P<0.001). Moreover, COPD patients had a significantly increased mean serum concentration of both anti-H. pylori IgG (118.3+/-24.4 vs. 61.9+/-12.9U/ml, P<0.001) and anti-CagA IgG antibodies (33.8+/-3.4 vs. 19.0+/-1.5U/ml, P<0.001). Finally, no statistically significant difference, as regards the spirometric values, was detected between H. pylori infected COPD patients and uninfected ones. In conclusion, H. pylori infection may be associated with COPD. Further studies should be undertaken to clarify the potential underlying pathogenetic mechanisms.

No significant association between H pylori infection and lung cancer was found.