Serum positive cagA in patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia and peptic ulcer disease from two centers in different regions of Turkey.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate and compare frequencies of serum positive cagA in patients from two separate regions of Turkey who were grouped according to the presence of peptic ulcer disease or non-ulcer dyspepsia.


METHODS
One hundred and eighty Helicobacter pylori-positive patients with peptic ulcer disease or non-ulcer dyspepsia were included in the study. One hundred and fourteen patients had non-ulcer dyspepsia and 66 had peptic ulcer disease (32 with gastric ulcers and/or erosions and 34 with duodenal ulcers). Each patient was tested for serum antibody to H. pylori cagA protein by enzyme immunoassay.


RESULTS
The total frequency of serum positive cagA in the study group was 97.2 %. The rates in the patients with peptic ulcers and in those with non-ulcer dyspepsia were 100 % and 95.6 %, respectively. These results were similar to those reported in Asian studies, but higher than those that have been noted in other studies from Turkey and Western countries.


CONCLUSIONS
The high rates of serum positive cagA in these patients with peptic ulcer disease and non-ulcer dyspepsia were similar to results reported in Asia. The fact that there was high seroum prevalence regardless of ulcer status suggests that factors other than cagA might be responsible for ulceration or other types of severe pathology in H. pylori-positive individuals.
Serin
Ender
E
Bapkent Universitesi Typ Fakultesi, Adana Uygulama ve Arattyrma Merkezi, Dadaloolu Mahallesi, 39 Sokak, No: 6, 01250 Adana, Turkey. eserin@baskent-adn.edu.tr
Yilmaz
Uğur
U
Künefeci
Ganiye
G
Ozer
Birol
B
Gümürdülü
Yuksel
Y
Güçlü
Mustafa
M
Kayaselçuk
Fazilet
F
Boyacioğlu
Sedat
S
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010437:Peptic Ulcer / Q000382:microbiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014421:Turkey; D014510:Urease / Q000032:analysis
D015415:Biomarkers; D014510:Urease