Helicobacter pylori and corpus gastric pathology are associated with lower serum ghrelin.

AIM: To evaluate the association of Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ), cagA genotype, and type of gastric pathology with ghrelin, leptin and nutritional status.

METHODS: Fasted dyspeptic adults (18-70 years) referred for an upper digestive endoscopy were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Height and weight were assessed for body mass index (BMI) calculation. A sociodemographic survey was administered and nutrient intake was evaluated with 24 h dietary recalls. Serum total ghrelin and leptin levels were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. 13 C-Urea Breath Test was performed and four gastric biopsies were obtained during endoscopy for histopathology and H. pylori DNA amplification and genotyping. Data analysis was performed using χ2 , Mann-Whitney U , Kruskal-Wallis tests, Spearman's correlation and linear regression.

RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-three patients (40.8 ± 14.0 years), 98/65 females/males, were included. Overall, persistent H. pylori prevalence was 53.4% (95%CI: 45.7%-65.8%). Neither nutrient intake nor BMI differed significantly between H. pylori positive and negative groups. Serum ghrelin was significantly lower in infected patients [median 311.0 pg/mL (IQR 230.0-385.5)] than in uninfected ones [median 355.0 pg/mL (IQR 253.8-547.8)] ( P = 0.025), even after adjusting for BMI and gender ( P = 0.03). Ghrelin levels tended to be lower in patients carrying cagA positive strains both in the antrum and the corpus; however, differences with those carrying cagA negative strains did not reach statistical significance ( P = 0.50 and P = 0.49, respectively). In addition, the type and severity of gastric pathology in the corpus was associated with lower serum ghrelin ( P = 0.04), independently of H. pylori status. Conversely, leptin levels did not differ significantly between infected and uninfected patients [median 1.84 ng/mL (0.80-4.85) vs 1.84 ng/mL (0.50-5.09), ( P = 0.51)].

CONCLUSION: H. pylori infection and severity of gastric corpus pathology are associated with lower serum ghrelin. Further studies could confirm a lower ghrelin prevalence in cagA -positive patients.