Helicobacter pylori and preeclampsia

We highly praise the article by Di Simone et al.1 who suggest a possible solution for the major cause of maternofetal diseases, that is, preeclampsia (PE). The neurological consequences of PE are often dramatic, due to cerebral ischemia in both the fetus and the mother, if the disease is not promptly recognized and controlled. Ischemia of small arteries has been correlated to Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection in both coronary and brain arteries2–4 as well as in digital ones in Raynaud’s phenomenon. Therefore, we hypothesized that PE represents a further example of the arterial impairment associated with the proinflammatory status stimulated by Hp infection, and this correlation was demonstrated.5 A further problem of family planning in Europe is the presentday low fertility: the number of children born in Turin is currently 0.6 per couple, raising complex and disruptive sociological questions, including adoption policies, adoption by single parents or homosexual couples. Infertility is not infrequent in Hpinfected couples.6 Hence, testing for Hp would be a lowcost addition to the long list of expensive genetic screening for rare diseases, and possibly a costsaving option for the staggering human suffering and monetary cost of the consequences of PE.