Does bile reflux reduce Helicobacter pylori gastritis?

Background: Chronic abdominal pain is a frequent childhood complaint. This study aims to determine the relationship between bile reflux, which is increasing with the growth in packaged food consumption resulting from the changing food industry, and Helicobacter pylori gastritis.

Methods: In this retrospective study, 804 cases where there was an endoscopic examination for abdominal pain were included. We recorded the patients` age, sex, and macroscopic and microscopic endoscopic findings. Patients with chronic diseases were excluded.

Results: Our study included 804 cases. Of patients, 61.8% were female and 38.2% were male. The mean age was 11.56±4.14 years. The Helicobacter pylori gastritis rate was found to be 22.3% among all patients. Bile reflux was seen in 192 (23.9%) patients. Only 27 (14.1%) of the 192 patients had Helicobacter pylori positivity (p=0.002).

Conclusions: Helicobacter pylori gastritis is less common among patients with bile reflux. In another study conducted in our outpatient clinic before the 2000s, the frequency of Helicobacter pylori gastritis was found to be 40%, but after 2000 this rate decreased to 22.3% due to bile reflux caused by the changing food industry. This result may be explained by the bactericidal effects of bile acids.