title: Does the antibody production ability affect the serum anti-Helicobacter pylori IgG titer?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationship between serum titers of anti-Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) immunoglobulin G (IgG) and hepatitis B virus surface antibody (HBsAb).
  
  
  METHODS
  Korean adults were included whose samples had positive Giemsa staining on endoscopic biopsy and were studied in the hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg)/HBsAb serologic assay, pepsinogen (PG) assay, and H. pylori serologic test on the same day. Subjects were excluded if they were positive for HBsAg, had a recent history of medication, or had other medical condition(s). We analyzed the effects of the following factors on serum titers of HBsAb and the anti-H. pylori IgG: Age, density of H. pylori infiltration in biopsy samples, serum concentrations of PG I and PG II, PG I/II ratio, and white blood cell count.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 111 included subjects, 74 (66.7%) exhibited a positive HBsAb finding. The serum anti-H. pylori IgG titer did not correlate with the serum HBsAb titer (P = 0.185); however, it correlated with the degree of H. pylori infiltration on gastric biopsy (P < 0.001) and serum PG II concentration (P = 0.042). According to the density of H. pylori infiltration on gastric biopsy, subjects could be subdivided into those with a marked (median: 3.95, range 0.82-4.00) (P = 0.458), moderate (median: 3.37, range 1.86-4.00), and mild H. pylori infiltrations (median: 2.39, range 0.36-4.00) (P < 0.001). Subjects with a marked H. pylori infiltration on gastric biopsy had the highest serological titer, whereas in subjects with moderate and mild H. pylori infiltrations titers were correspondingly lower (P < 0.001). After the successful eradication, significant decreases of the degree of H. pylori infiltration (P < 0.001), serum anti-H. pylori IgG titer (P < 0.001), and serum concentrations of PG I (P = 0.028) and PG II (P = 0.028) were observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The anti-H. pylori IgG assay can be used to estimate the burden of bacteria in immunocompetent hosts with H. pylori infection, regardless of the HBsAb titer after HBV vaccination.
authors: Hyun Ah Chung, Sun-Young Lee, Jeong Hwan Kim, In-Kyung Sung, Hyung Seok Park, Chan Sup Shim, Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul 05030, South Korea.
authors: Hyun Ah
authors: HA
authors: Chung
authors: Hyun Ah Chung, Sun-Young Lee, Jeong Hwan Kim, In-Kyung Sung, Hyung Seok Park, Chan Sup Shim, Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul 05030, South Korea.
authors: Sun-Young
authors: SY
authors: Lee
authors: Hyun Ah Chung, Sun-Young Lee, Jeong Hwan Kim, In-Kyung Sung, Hyung Seok Park, Chan Sup Shim, Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul 05030, South Korea.
authors: Hee Won
authors: HW
authors: Moon
authors: Hyun Ah Chung, Sun-Young Lee, Jeong Hwan Kim, In-Kyung Sung, Hyung Seok Park, Chan Sup Shim, Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul 05030, South Korea.
authors: Jeong Hwan
authors: JH
authors: Kim
authors: Hyun Ah Chung, Sun-Young Lee, Jeong Hwan Kim, In-Kyung Sung, Hyung Seok Park, Chan Sup Shim, Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul 05030, South Korea.
authors: In-Kyung
authors: IK
authors: Sung
authors: Hyun Ah Chung, Sun-Young Lee, Jeong Hwan Kim, In-Kyung Sung, Hyung Seok Park, Chan Sup Shim, Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul 05030, South Korea.
authors: Hyung Seok
authors: HS
authors: Park
authors: Hyun Ah Chung, Sun-Young Lee, Jeong Hwan Kim, In-Kyung Sung, Hyung Seok Park, Chan Sup Shim, Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul 05030, South Korea.
authors: Chan Sup
authors: CS
authors: Shim
authors: Hyun Ah Chung, Sun-Young Lee, Jeong Hwan Kim, In-Kyung Sung, Hyung Seok Park, Chan Sup Shim, Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul 05030, South Korea.
authors: Hye Seung
authors: HS
authors: Han
keywords: Antibody; Helicobacter pylori; Hepatitis B; Immunoglobulin G; Pepsinogen