Symptom clusters cannot be used in distinguishing Helicobacter pylori positive or negative patients with functional dyspepsia

Background: A retrospective study was done in consecutive patients in order to seek out whether dyspepsia subgroups (reflux-like, ulcer-like, and, dys motility-like dyspepsia) can be useful in describing Helicobacter pylori po sitive and negative functional dyspepsia. Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscop y were included if no macroscopic lesions in oesophagus, stomach or duodenu m were seen. Antral biopsy specimens were taken for detection of H. pylori. A validated questionnaire was used. Results: Six hundred patients fulfille d the inclusion criteria. Three hundred were positive for H. pylori. In the H. pylori positive(HP +) patients only 3 (1.2%) had 'pure' reflux-like dys pepsia, 17 (6.9%) had ulcer-like: dyspepsia and 10 (4%) suffered from dysmo tility-like dyspepsia. In the H. pylori negative (HP -) patients these figu res were 6 (2.3%), 17 (6.6%) and 7 (2.7%), respectively (ns). The majority of patients had a combination of complaints belonging to the three subgroup s. Reflux-like dyspepsia was present in 179 (73%) HP + dyspeptics and 195 ( 76%) HP -'s (ns). Ulcer-Like dyspepsia was present in 213 (88%) Hp + cases and 233 (92%) HP - 's (ns). Dysmotility-like dyspepsia was present in 197 ( 81%) HP + 's and 212 (82%) HP - 's (ns). Conclusions: It is concluded that it is not possible Co identify patients suffering from H. pylori infection on basis of symptom clusters. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights res erved.