Helicobacter pylori infection in obese patients qualified for bariatric surgery

Introduction
The aim of the study was to determine the frequency of Helicobacter pylori infections in obese patients qualified for bariatric surgery and in patients with normal body weight undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. All participants gave informed consent to be included in the study.

Material and methods
The research was carried out among 124 patients (60 patients with obesity and 64 patients without obesity), who underwent gastroscopy in the Laboratory of Diagnostic and Surgical Endoscopy of the University Teaching Hospital in Białystok during the period 2018–2020. The obese patients underwent gastroscopy as part of qualification for bariatric surgery. The self-constructed questionnaire contained questions about demographic data, smoking, medications taken that affect the occurrence or elimination of gastrointestinal ailments, the presence of diseases coexisting with obesity, and the presence of ailments from the gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, the description of gastroscopy and the result of histopathology were analysed

Results
The average body mass index (BMI) in the group of obese patients was 40.42 (the lowest 30.1 – the highest 64). In the group of patients with normal body weight, the mean BMI was 22.46 (the lowest 20.1 – the highest 24.9). The urease test and histopathological examinations confirmed the comparable frequency of infections. The correlation between the occurrence of Helicobacter pylori and patient age, gender, or place of residence has not been confirmed.

Conclusions
Performing gastroscopy enables the diagnosis of abnormalities as part of qualification for a bariatric procedure. A high Helicobacter pylori detection rate tested in a group of patients may be an important predictor of postoperative complications.