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Helicobacter pylori Protection Against Reflux Esophagitis

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Abstract

Background and Aim

Negative association has been reported between presence of Helicobacter pylori and developing gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and its complications. The aim of this study was to determine whether H. pylori (HP) can be protective against GERD in an African American (AA) population.

Methods

From 2004 to 2007, we studied 2,020 cases; esophagitis (58), gastritis (1,558), both esophagitis and gastritis (363) and a normal control group (41). We collected their pathology and endoscopy unit reports. HP status was determined based on staining of gastric biopsy.

Results

HP data was available for 79 % (1,611) of the cases. The frequency of HP positivity in gastritis patients was 40 % (506), in esophagitis patients 4 % and in normal controls 34 % (11), while HP was positive in 34 % of the patients with both esophagitis and gastritis. After adjusting for effects of age and sex, odds ratio of HP was 0.06 (95 % CI 0.01–0.59; P value = 0.01) for the esophagitis group versus the normal group.

Conclusions

Our results show H. pylori has a significant negative association with esophagitis in AAs which may point to a protective role of H. pylori in the pathogenesis of esophagitis. In addition, H. pylori may be the reason for the low GERD complications in AAs.

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Acknowledgments

CA102681 was funded by the National Cancer Institute, NIH, and RCMI, Howard University.

Conflict of interest

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Sickle Cell Disease Center, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA

    Mehdi Nouraie

  2. Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA

    Edward Lee & Hassan Brim

  3. School of Community Health and Policy, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Farin Kamangar

  4. Department of Medicine, Cancer Center, Howard University Cancer Center, Howard University Hospital, Rm #320, 2041 Georgia Ave., Washington, DC, 20059, USA

    Hassan Ashktorab, Omid Entezari, Ehsan Dowlati, Wayne Frederick, Alfreda Woods, Firoozeh Ghadyari & Hadie Razjouyan

  5. Department of Internal Medicine, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN, 37208, USA

    Duane T. Smoot

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  1. Hassan Ashktorab
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Correspondence to Hassan Ashktorab.

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Ashktorab, H., Entezari, O., Nouraie, M. et al. Helicobacter pylori Protection Against Reflux Esophagitis. Dig Dis Sci 57, 2924–2928 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-012-2349-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-012-2349-3

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