Editor,—Infectious agents such asChlamydia pneumoniae orHelicobacter pylori have been linked to ischaemic heart disease (IHD).1 ,2 Raised plasma fibrinogen has been claimed as a possible link betweenH pylori infection and IHD3 ,4; however, fibrinogen as an acute phase protein may only reflect systemic inflammation from other underlying diseases (usually not considered in previous publications).

Our aim was to evaluate retrospectively a possible relation betweenH pylori infection, plasma fibrinogen, and IHD. We then planned to test the hypothesis that raised fibrinogen induced by H pylori is only important in patients with IHD in the absence of other systemic inflammation parameters.5 Finally, we attempted to lower plasma fibrinogen in this subgroup of patients by eradicatingH …