Internal Medicine
Online ISSN : 1349-7235
Print ISSN : 0918-2918
ISSN-L : 0918-2918
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Reflux Esophagitis and Helicobacter pylori Infection in Patients with Scleroderma
Kanako YamaguchiRyuichi IwakiriMegumi HaraAtsushi KikkawaTakehiro FujiseHibiki OotaniRyo ShimodaSeiji TsunadaHiroyuki SakataOsamu UshiyamaSyuichi KoaradaYoshifumi TadaKohei NagasawaKazuma Fujimoto
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JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS

2008 Volume 47 Issue 18 Pages 1555-1559

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Abstract

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the possible effects of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in reflux esophagitis with scleroderma.
Patients and Methods There were a total of 138 patients with scleroderma in our hospital between October 1998 and June 2005. Among these patients, 64 consecutive patients of scleroderma, who did not receive medication for gastrointestinal diseases, underwent endoscopy after informed consent. H. pylori was examined using an H. pylori IgG ELISA. The endoscopists graded esophageal mucosal breaks according to the Los Angeles Classification of Esophagitis.
Results Among the 64 patients, 37 patients (57.8%) were positive for H. pylori infection. Reflux esophagitis was observed in 10 of 37 H. pylori-positive patients and in 19 of 27 H. pylori-negative patients. Significantly fewer H. pylori-infected patients had reflux esophagitis than H. pylori-negative patients (p<0.01). The odds ratio for H. pylori infection and reflux esophagitis was 0.16 (95%CI; 0.052-0.47).
Conclusion These findings suggest an important role for H. pylori infection in reflux esophagitis with scleroderma.

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© 2008 by The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine
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