Aim: To study the association of Helicobacter pylori infection with chronic antral
gastritis in peptic ulcer disease patients and healthy population of Kashmir.Methods: 50 peptic ulcer patients (duodenal ulcer = 46, gastric ulcer = 2 and combined
duodenal and gastric ulcer = 2) and 30 asymptomatic healthy volunteers were included in
this study. Peptic ulcer was diagnosed on endoscopic examination. 4–6 punch biopsies
were taken from gastric antrum in all the individuals and in case of gastric ulcer an
additional biopsy was taken from the edge of the ulcer to exclude its malignant nature.
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) organism was diagnosed using three different test methods,
viz. Histology (using Giemsa Stain), Microbiology (Gram Stain) and Biochemistry
(using one minute Endoscopy Room Test). Histological diagnosis of H. pylori was taken
as the “gold standard” for the presence of H. pylori organism. Histological diagnosis of
gastritis was made using Hematoxylin and Eosin Stain and the gastritis was classified
as active chronic gastritis and superficial chronic gastritis.Results: Out of 30 peptic ulcer disease patients with associated antral gastritis, 27 (90%) were positive for H. pylori on histological examination (13 superficial chronic
gastritis and 14 active chronic gastritis) whereas out of 8 healthy volunteers with
histological evidence of chronic antral gastritis, H. pylori was observed in 7 individuals
(87.50%) (4 active chronic gastritis and 3 superficial chronic gastritis).Conclusion: A highly significant association between H. pylori infection with chronic
antral gastritis both in peptic ulcer disease patients and healthy volunteers of Kashmir
was found in this study. Association between H. pylori infection and chronic gastritis
was 90% in peptic ulcer group and 87.50% in healthy population (P<0.005).
Evidence for the essential role of Helicobacter pylori in gastric ulcer disease.