Helicobacter pylori in alcohol induced acute pancreatitis.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to measure the association of Helicobacter pylori infection with alcoholic acute pancreatitis.


METHODS
This study comprised of 50 patients with their first alcoholic pancreatitis and 50 alcoholic controls with no history of pancreatitis but similar alcohol use recruited from an alcohol rehabilitation center. Helicobacter infection was measured using Enzygnost EIA IgG-test. Complications and length of hospital stay were also recorded in patients with alcoholic pancreatitis.


RESULTS
The seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori was 10/50 (20%) in the pancreatitis group and 15/50 (30%) in the control group (p = NS). The median length of hospital stay of pancreatitis patients was 7 days, 11 days for those tested positive (range 6-25) and 6 days for those tested negative (range 3-47) for Helicobacter pylori, p = 0.013. As determined with the Atlanta criteria, seropositive patients tended to have more often severe pancreatitis, 4/10 (40%) vs. 6/40 (15%), OR 3.78 (95% CI 0.815-17.52), p = 0.097.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that Helicobacter pylori infection is not associated clinically significantly with the development of alcoholic pancreatitis. However, Helicobacter pylori infection may be associated with longer hospital stay due to more severe disease, which needs to be studied in a larger series of patients.
Khan
J
J
Department of Gastroenterology and Alimentary Tract Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.
Pelli
H
H
Lappalainen-Lehto
R
R
Järvinen
S
S
Sand
J
J
Nordback
I
I
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000382:microbiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019512:Pancreatitis, Alcoholic / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D055815:Young Adult