title: Prevalence of upper digestive endoscopy and gastric histopathology findings in morbidly obese patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The prevalence of obesity has been increasing in modern society. Roux-en-y gastric bypass is a bariatric surgery that involves the exclusion of significant part of the stomach. Atrophy, intestinal metaplasia and gastric cancer have been associated with infection by Helicobacter pylori.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the presence of endoscopy findings and histological changes in morbid obese patients for the presence of inflammatory cells, inflammatory activity, lymphoid hyperplasia, H. pylori infection, atrophy and intestinal metaplasia in the gastric mucosa.
  
  
  METHODS
  Upper digestive endoscopy and gastric histopathological were studied in 126 obese patients in the preoperative evaluation for bariatric surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Upper digestive endoscopy abnormalities were diagnosed in 73/126 (57.9%) patients. In three patients (2.4%) the upper gastrointestinal endoscopy diagnosed gastric ulcer and one patient (0.8%) had duodenal ulcer. The histopathological from gastric biopsies of these obese patients showed 65.1% of mucosa inflammation, inflammatory activity in 50.0%, infection by H. pylori in 53.2%, lymphoid hyperplasia in 50.0% and atrophy and/or intestinal metaplasia in 16.7%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In present study, with routine preoperative upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and histopathological examination, were detected 57.9% patients with endoscopy abnormalities, high prevalence of infection by H. pylori (53%) and 16.7% of gastric atrophy and/or intestinal metaplasia.
authors.affiliation: Division of Endoscopy, HNSC, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. judi60@gmail.com
authors.forename: Judite
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dietz
authors.forename: Jane Maria
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ulbrich-Kulcynski
authors.forename: Katia Elisabete Pires
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Souto
authors.forename: Nelson Guardiola
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Meinhardt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001284:Atrophy / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*; D005773:Gastroscopy; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008679:Metaplasia / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D057234:Preoperative Period; D015995:Prevalence; D013272:Stomach Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*