Helicobacter pylori Associated Gastritis in Northern Maharashtra, India: A Histopathological Study of Gastric Mucosal Biopsies.

Introduction: Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) are of major concern today because of its causal relationships with gastrointestinal diseases. It represents one of the most common and medically important infections worldwide. H.pylori plays a key role in the aetiology of chronic gastritis, duodenal ulcer, gastric carcinoma and MALT lymphoma. There is paucity of literature regarding the morphological changes in H.pylori associated gastritis.

Aim: We undertake this study to find out the association and prevalence of H.pylori associated gastritis by histopathological methods in North Maharashtra, India.

Materials And Methods: A total 310 patients with various upper gastrointestinal disorders were included in this study over the period of 19 months from July 2013 to January 2015. The detailed clinical history was taken and patients were subjected to video gastroscopy. Each biopsy was studied with Haematoxylin and Eosin/Giemsa method.

Results: The prevalence of H.pylori was high in third to fourth decades. Out of 310 patients of gastrocopy, 144 were H.pylori positive by Haematoxylin and Eosin/Giemsa method. Morphological changes specific for H.pylori was noted as atrophy and irregular gastric mucosa, lymphoid aggregates and reactive atypia. Male patient were outnumbered by female patients.

Conclusion: Histopathological evaluation is the gold standard for diagnosing H.pylori infection. Prevalence of H.pylori in the present study was 46.5% in patients undergoing videogastroscopic biopsies for gastritis and vague upper gastrointestinal symptoms. Furthermore and large scale studies are required to establish the diagnostic modalities for H.pylori associated gastritis to prevent morbidity and mortality.