Más sobre el Helicobater pylori en Colombia: Gastritis crónica atrófica, metaplasia intestinal y costumbres de tratamiento

Abstract

In this issue of the Colombian Journal of Gastroenterology two valuable contributions appear on the subject of Helicobacter pylori in our country, this time in relation to atrophic gastritis of the body and with the customs of antibiotic treatment by general practitioners and specialists. In the case-control study of Martínez J, Henao S, and Granados C, the presence of H. pylori, chronic gastritis, activity, atrophy, and intestinal metaplasia was determined in body biopsies of 315 patients aged 15 to 86 years, who attended an upper digestive endoscopy at an outpatient center in Bogotá. The multivariate analysis related the age of the patients with the mentioned histological parameters. 70% of the patients were infected with H. pylori, and 91% had changes in chronic body gastritis. In two thirds of these there was activity in the biopsies, atrophy in 6.03%, and intestinal metaplasia in 4.76%. A positive association was found between age and body atrophy, and between age and the presence of intestinal metaplasia. H. Pylori infection decreased with age, but was strongly associated with the activity of gastric inflammation and also with the finding of metaplasia.