Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in cirrhotic patients with portal hypertensive gastropathy

摘要

AIMS To determine the relation between Helicobac-ter pylori infection and portal hypertensive gastropathy. METHODS Thirty-four patients with portal hypertensive gastropathy diagnosed with McCormack criteria were studied and 136 chronic superficial gastritis patients matched with age and sex served as controls. H. pylori infection was confirmed with the rapid urease test. RESULTS H. pylori infection was confirmed in 19 of 34 (55.9%) patients and in 74 of 136 (54.4%) controls. There was no significant difference in H. pylori infection between the patients and controls (P < 0.05). The findings show that the presence of H. pylori was not closely associated with portal hypertensive gastropathy. In addition, there was no significant difference in H. pylori infection between the severity of gastropathy, duration of the disease and Child's classification of liver function (P > 0.05). The results suggest that factors other than H. pylori infection may be also important in the pathogenesis of endoscopic changes. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of H. pylori infection is not higher in portal hypertensive gastropathy patients than that in chronic superficial gastritis controls who were matched with age, and the H. pylori infection is unrelated to the severity of endoscopic changes, the duration of the disease and the Child' classification of liver function. H. pylori infection is not the only necessary factor for the development of portal hypertensive gastropathy.