Histological and endoscopic features of the stomachs of patients with Chagas disease in the era of Helicobacter pylori

• Published in: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical Vol. 47; no. 6; pp. 739 - 746
• Main Authors: Fonseca, Fernanda Machado, Etchebehere, Renata Margarida, Queiroz, Dulciene Maria de Magalhães, Rocha, Andreia Maria Camargos, Junqueira, Iracema Saldanha, Fonseca, Daurin Narciso da, Rodrigues, Aline Libério Braga, Crema, Eduardo, de Oliveira, Adriana Gonçalves
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical - SBMT 01-12-2014; Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT)
• Subjects: Biopsy; Case-Control Studies; Chagas disease; Chagas Disease - complications; Chagas Disease - microbiology; Chagas Disease - pathology; Gastritis; Gastritis - complications; Gastritis - microbiology; Gastritis - pathology; Gastroscopy; Helicobacter Infections - complications; Helicobacter Infections - pathology; Helicobacter pylori; Helicobacter pylori infection; Humans; Middle Aged; Prevalence; TROPICAL MEDICINE; Chagas disease; Helicobacter pylori infection; Gastritis
• ISSN: 0037-8682; 1678-9849; 1678-9849; 0037-8682
• DOI: 10.1590/0037-8682-0180-2014

Most studies that have evaluated the stomachs of patients with Chagas disease were performed before the discovery of Helicobacter pylori and used no control groups. This study compared the gastric features of chagasic and non-chagasic patients and assessed whether gastritis could be associated with Chagas disease.
Gastric biopsy samples were taken from patients who underwent endoscopy for histological analysis according to the Updated Sydney System. H. pylori infection was assessed by histology, 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) polymerase chain reaction (PCR), serology and the 13C-urea breath test. Patients were considered H. pylori-negative when all of these diagnostic tests were negative. Clinical and socio-demographic data were obtained by reviewing medical records and using a questionnaire.
The prevalence of H. pylori infection (70.3% versus 71.7%) and chronic gastritis (92.2% versus 85%) was similar in the chagasic and non-chagasic groups, respectively; such as peptic ulcer, atrophy and intestinal metaplasia. Gastritis was associated with H. pylori infection independent of Chagas disease in a log-binomial regression model. However, the chagasic H. pylori-negative patients showed a significantly higher grade of mononuclear (in the corpus) and polymorphonuclear (PMN) (in the antrum) cell infiltration. Additionally, the patients with the digestive form of Chagas disease showed a significantly lower prevalence of corpus atrophy than those with other clinical forms.
The prevalence of H. pylori infection and of gastric histological and endoscopic features was similar among the chagasic and non-chagasic patients. Additionally, this is the first controlled study to demonstrate that H. pylori is the major cause of gastritis in patients with Chagas disease.