Ulcer-Causing Bacteria May Prevent Asthma

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"What we found was that if people ever had a history of asthma, there was an inverse association with CAG positive helicobacter," said Blaser. And, he added, when the researchers broke the data down by age, they found an even more "striking result."

"We have evidence that helicobacter used to be ubiquitous in the environment, and it used to be acquired in childhood," said Blaser. "Now, we have a generation of children growing up with helicobacter in their stomachs to help regulate immunity and maybe protect against asthma and allergy. This could be an unintended consequence of all the antibiotics used in children.

"It's possible helicobacter is protecting against asthma to some degree, and, as it disappears, we're losing that layer of protection, which may explain why asthma, especially childhood asthma, is rising," he said.

Results of the study are published in the April 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Not everyone is convinced that helicobacter is at the root of asthma, however.

"This study doesn't sway me in any way in how I treat my asthma patients," said Dr. Jane Krasnick, chief of allergy and immunology at St. John Macomb Hospital in Warren, Mich.

Krasnick said the study has some limitations, such as the asthma was self-reported, not confirmed by lung function tests or doctors. Additionally, she said, there was no mention of the severity of asthma or details on the types of medications the study volunteers were taking. Such factors could affect the study findings, she pointed out.

Still, Krasnick said, "Medicine can be like a big jigsaw puzzle, and this may be a piece of that puzzle. Maybe right now, you noticed this piece has fallen under a chair, and you wonder if it's important, so you go back to get that piece and keep it in a drawer in case you need it later."

Blaser said additional research needs to be done to confirm the association and then to figure out what to do with this knowledge. Right now, he said, many physicians think all H. pylori infections need to be treated, even those not causing ulcer symptoms.

But, he said, " Helicobacter is part of the natural human body. It's quite ancient in humans and has been living in the human stomach for a very long time."

More information

You can read more about H. pylori and its relationship to peptic ulcers at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.