Fundic gland polyps are not induced by proton pump inhibitor therapy

It is still unclear whether proton pump inhibitors (PP's) could cause fundi c gland polyps (FGPs) in patients without Helicobacter pylori infection. Th e frequency of FGPs in patients during PPI therapy has not been compared, h owever, with a control group of patients who did not have H pylori infectio n and were not undergoing PPI treatment. In a retrospective 12-month study, the frequency of FGPs in 2,251 patients without H pylori infection receiving PPI therapy (duration of treatment at least 4 weeks) was compared with a control group of 28,096 patients who did root have H pylori infection and were not receiving PPI therapy. FGPs were identified with an identical frequency in both groups (5.0% in the control and 5.2% in the PPI group). No significant differences were present betwee n the groups with respect to the presence of gastritis or age or sex. Our study shows that a causal pathogenetic relationship between PPI therapy and FGPs is unlikely.