Helicobacter pylori iceA1 and its clinical outcomes in the Iranian population: a systematic review and meta-analysis

According to the studies conducted in Western countries, the iceA1 gene is considered as a risk factor for peptic ulcer. The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of iceA1 gene on determining the final clinical outcomes of H. pylori infection such as peptic ulcers (duodenum ulcer and gastric ulcer) and gastric cancer in the Iranian population.

A systematic search was conducted using national and international databases. All studies on the association between iceA1 and gastrointestinal diseases in the Iranian population were collected by August 2022.

A total of 10 articles including 1,967 patients were considered as eligible studies. Based on the findings of this study, the rate of colonization with the H. pylori strains containing iceA1 in patients affected by peptic ulcers (gastric ulcer and duodenum ulcer) and gastric cancer was measured at 50.3% and 57.7%, respectively. In this study, a significant relationship was not observed between iceA1 gene and progression of primary infection to gastric ulcer in the Iranian population. In addition, according to subgroup analysis, it was found that iceA1 gene can increase the risk of duodenum ulcer, while there is an inverse relationship between this gene and progression to gastric cancer.

The results of this meta-analysis revealed that the iceA1 gene significantly increases the risk of duodenum ulcers and can be considered as a risk factor for gastrointestinal diseases in the Iranian population.