Hypergastrinemia after Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with bacterial load and related inflammation of the oxyntic corpus mucosa.
OBJECTIVE
Helicobacter pylori infection causes hypergastrinemia. This study aimed to determine the association between serum gastrin and the severity of H. pylori-related gastric histology.


METHODS
A total of 458 dyspeptic patients were included in this study after the absence of gastric malignancy was confirmed using endoscopy. The gastric specimens of each patient were collected from the antrum and corpus for the analysis of H. pylori-related histology changes by updated Sydney's system. Before endoscopy, the fasting blood samples were collected for gastrin analysis.


RESULTS
The H. pylori-infected patients had higher gastrin levels than those without infection (P = 0.01). Gastrin levels were related to H. pylori density and acute and chronic inflammation scores in the corpus mucosa (P < 0.05), but not in the antral mucosa (P = NS). Gastrin levels were also not related to the presence of gastric atrophy. Multivariate regression showed that the gastrin level was only related to acute corpus inflammation. However, in the patients without infection, the gastrin level was also associated with acute corpus inflammation. Nevertheless, the patients with denser H. pylori infection were more likely to have acute corpus gastritis than those with lighter H. pylori infection, and thus presented with higher gastrin levels (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The increased level of gastrin of serum after H. pylori infection was associated with acute inflammation in the gastric corpus mucosa, but not in the antral mucosa. Denser H. pylori infection causes more severe corpus gastritis and thus may lead to a higher fasting level of gastrin of serum.
Department of Internal Medicine, Medical College, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Chiao-Hsiung
CH
Chuang
Bor-Shyang
BS
Sheu
Hsiao-Bai
HB
Yang
Ai-wen
AW
Kao
Hsiu-Chi
HC
Cheng
Wei-Jen
WJ
Yao
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005755:Gastrins / Q000097:blood*; D005756:Gastritis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis
D015415:Biomarkers; D005755:Gastrins