NONULCER DYSPEPSIA - RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SYMPTOMATOLOGY, GASTRITIS AND HELICOBACTER-PYLORI

Background: histological alterations of gastric mucosa and its coloniz ation by Helicobacter pylori are postuled to be implicated in the path ogenesis of non ulcer dyspepsia. Aim: To study the possible relationsh ips between histological gastritis and Helicobacter pylori in non ulce r dyspepsia symptomatology. Patients and Methods: fifty four patients (39 females) with non ulcer dyspepsia whose ages ranged from 17 to 68 years were subjected to an upper GI endoscopy with gastric mucosa biop sy samples for histological study and microbiological identification o f Helicobacter pylori. Gastrointestinal complains were blindly quantif ied using a scored questionnaire. Results: thirty one subjects (57.4%) had Helicobacter pylori in their gastric mucosa. There was acute infl ammatory activity in 26 of the 31 patients with Helicobacter pylori (8 1%) and 15 of 23 without Helicobacter (65%). The median score of sympt oms was 7(range 2-13) in patients with Helicobacter and 6 (range 2-10) in patients without Helicobacter. Conclusions: there were no signific ant differences in gastric mucosa acute inflammatory activity and non ulcer dyspepsia symptomatology between patients with or without Helico bacter pylori colonization of gastric mucosa.