Symptom clusters cannot be used in distinguishing Helicobacter pylori positive or negative patients with functional dyspepsia.

BACKGROUND

A retrospective study was done in consecutive patients in order to seek out whether dyspepsia subgroups (reflux-like, ulcer-like, and, dysmotility-like dyspepsia) can be useful in describing Helicobacter pylori positive and negative functional dyspepsia.

METHODS

Consecutive patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were included if no macroscopic lesions in oesophagus, stomach or duodenum were seen. Antral biopsy specimens were taken for detection of H. pylori. A validated questionnaire was used.

RESULTS

Six hundred patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Three hundred were positive for H. pylori. In the H. pylori positive (HP+) patients only 3 (1.2%) had 'pure' reflux-like dyspepsia, 17 (6.9%) had ulcer-like dyspepsia and 10 (4%) suffered from dysmotility-like dyspepsia. In the H. pylori negative (HP-) patients these figures were 6 (2.3%), 17 (6.6%) and 7 (2.7%), respectively (ns). The majority of patients had a combination of complaints belonging to the three subgroups. Reflux-like dyspepsia was present in 179 (73%) HP+ dyspeptics and 195 (76%) HP-'s (ns). Ulcer-like dyspepsia was present in 213 (88%) HP+ cases and 233 (92%) HP-'s (ns). Dysmotility-like dyspepsia was present in 197 (81%) HP+'s and 212 (82%) HP-'s (ns).

CONCLUSIONS

It is concluded that it is not possible to identify patients suffering from H. pylori infection on basis of symptom clusters.