GASTRIC METAPLASIA AND HELICOBACTER-PYLORI INFECTION

Duodenal and antral mucosal biopsy specimens were obtained from 139 pa tients with dyspeptic complaints to study the prevalence and extent of gastric metaplasia in the duodenal bulb in relation to Helicobacter p ylori (H pylori) infection and duodenal ulcer disease. On logistic reg ression, the presence and extent of gastric metaplasia was not signifi cantly associated with H pylori infection. The prevalence of gastric m etaplasia, however, was found to be higher in patients with current or past evidence of duodenal ulcer disease in comparison with subjects w ith functional dyspepsia (p=0.01). A follow up study on 22 patients be fore and at least one year after eradication of H pylori showed that t he mean extent of gastric metaplasia did not change significantly afte r eradication and did not differ when compared with 21 patients with p ersisting infection. It is concluded that the unchanged gastric acid o utput after eradication of H pylori is a more important factor in the development of gastric metaplasia than the H pylori related inflammato ry process.