Chronic Antral Gastritis by Helicobacter pylori in Patients under Treatment or Not with Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs

Abstract

Introduction: Helicobacter pylori infection and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are two independent risks factors mostly involved in the etio-pathogenesis of gastrointestinal mucosal damage. A possible interaction between them, influencing the magnitude of the chronic antral gastritis, is controversial.

Objective: to estimate histopathological aspects of chronic antral gastritis due to Helicobacter pylori, either in association or not with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs consumption.

Method: a case-control study in which the universe was conformed by 282 patients on whom an endoscopic antral biopsy was performed. It took place at Vladimir I. Lenin Hospital, from February 2008 to February 2009. Ninety one patients with histological diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori chronic antral gastritis constituted the sample of the study, 32 of them were non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs users (study group), and 59 were not (controls).

Results: although 81.25 % in the study group had chronic active gastritis, this was prevalent in controls (Z=2.085; p<0.05). 59.37 % of the study group showed mild severity inflammation, with a statistically significant greater proportion of moderate to severe lesions in controls (Z=4.568; p<0.001). Moderate to high Helicobacter density was observed in 53.13 % of the study group, with no significant differences with respect to controls (Z=0.889; p>0,05).

Conclusions: the prevalence of the activity and moderate to severe inflammation in antral chronic gastritis due to Helicobacter pylori in non-consumers of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs might be hypothetically attributed to both the anti-inflammatory action as well as a protective effect of the gastric mucosa exerted by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in patients taking these drugs. The colonization density does not appear to be significantly influenced by these drugs.

Keywords: chronic antral gastritis, Helicobacter pylori, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs