Helicobacter pylori in Functional Dyspepsia and Normal Controls

Abstract

Wilhelmsen I, Tangen Haug T. Sipponen P, Berstad A. Helicobacter pylori in functional dyspepsia and normal controls. Scand J Gastroenterol 1994;29:522-527.

Background: The aim of this study was to examine whether Helicobacter pylori status can identify a specific subset of patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) and erosive prepyloric changes (EPC).

Methods: Anamnestic, somatic, and psychologic data were collected from 87 patients with functional dyspepsia and 77 normal control persons. Presence of H. pylori infection was assessed by the ¹⁴C-urea breath test.

Results: H. pylori infection increased with age. Thirty-four per cent of the patients were H. pylori-positive, compared with 36% of the control persons. The patients had higher scores than the normal control persons on psychologic measures regardless of H. pylori status. Of 27 variables analyzed, age was the only factor that discriminated between H. pylon'-positive and -negative patients.

Conclusions: For most patients with FD and EPC the presence of H. pylori infection is probably a consequence of age, and it does not seem to help us in the search for factors that can identify a subset of patients within our group of FD patients.

Key Words:

• Age
• breath test
• erosive prepyloric changes
• functional dyspepsia
• Helicobacter pylori
• psychologic factors