[Non ulcerative dyspepsia: relationship of symptomatology, gastritis and Helicobacter pylori].

BACKGROUND: histological alterations of gastric mucosa and its colonization by Helicobacter pylori are postuled to be implicated in the pathogenesis of non ulcer dyspepsia. AIM: to study the possible relationships between histological gastritis and Helicobacter pylori in non ulcer dyspepsia symptomatology. PATIENTS AND METHODS: fifty four patients (39 females) with non ulcer dyspepsia whose ages ranged from 17 to 68 years were subjected to an upper GI endoscopy with gastric mucosa biopsy samples for histological study and microbiological identification of Helicobacter pylori. Gastrointestinal complains were blindly quantified using a scored questionnaire. RESULTS: thirty one subjects (57.4%) had Helicobacter pylori in their gastric mucosa. There was acute inflammatory activity in 26 of the 31 patients with Helicobacter pylori (81%) and 15 of 23 without Helicobacter (65%). The median score of symptoms was 7 (range 2-13) in patients with Helicobacter and 6 (range 2-10) in patients without Helicobacter. CONCLUSIONS: there were no significant differences in gastric mucosa acute inflammatory activity and non ulcer dyspepsia symptomatology between patients with or without Helicobacter pylori colonization of gastric mucosa.