Prevalence of H pylori is lower in patients with reflux disease

Patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease have a lower prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection than patients without this disease. Raghunath and colleagues (p 737) conducted a systematic review of the medical literature and contacted experts and pharmaceutical companies, and identified 20 studies. On average, H pylori infection was present in 39% of patients with reflux disease and in 50% of the patients without the disease. Location seems to be another important determinant: the prevalence of H pylori infection in patients with reflux disease is much lower in the Far East, despite a higher prevalence in the general population, than in North America and western Europe.

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Relevant Article

Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease: systematic review

Anan Raghunath, A Pali S Hungin, David Wooff, and Susan Childs
BMJ 2003 326: 737. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]