Objective  To investigate the rate and risk factors of Helicobacter pylori(Hp) infection in patients with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD).

  Methods  A survey was conducted from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 by sending an electronic questionnaire to long-term follow-up IBD patients of Peking Union Medical College Hospital and age-sex-matched Beijing community residents. General information, information related to Hp infection and environmental factors were collected from the two groups. The differences in Hp positivity rates between the two groups and IBD patients with different clinical profiles were compared.

  Results  After propensity score matching, 122 patients with IBD and 1739 community residents were finally included in this study. The histograms of propensity score values were highly consistent between the two groups. The ratio of Hp infection was significantly lower in IBD patients than in the community residents (13.1% vs. 42.7%, P < 0.001). The ratio of Hp infection in both groups increased with age but showed no statistical significance (all P > 0.05). Univariate analysis showed that the IBD patients with Hp positive co-diners had a significantly higher ratio of Hp infection than those with Hp negative co-diners (43.8% vs. 18.9%, P=0.006).

  Conclusions  The Hp infection rate was lower in IBD patients than in community residents. The possible risk factor may be co-dining with Hp positives.