Immunological Manifestations of Helicobacter pylori Infection: Polyserositis?

Abstract

Polyserositis is the general inflammation of serous membranes with associated effusion. Except for tuberculosis and coxsackie virus, infections are a very rare cause of polyserositis. We describe a case of a 41-year-old woman with chronic mild thrombocytopenia that presented with polyserositis and whose investigation was negative for common causes of serosal inflammation, showing great clinical improvement after Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy. Besides serositis, we also discuss other immunological manifestations of Helicobacter pylori infection. To our knowledge, this is the first case that establishes Helicobacter pylori as a potential cause of serosal inflammation, thus expanding immunological manifestations of Helicobacter pylori infection.