Evaluation of serum ghrelin levels in patients with hyperplastic gastric polyps

Ghrelin is a 28 amino acid peptide and the main source of serum ghrelin is the stomach. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum ghrelin levels in patients with hyperplastic gastric polyp.

Eighty patients (50 female, 30 male) were included in this study: 28 with hyperplastic gastric polyp, 20 with benign gastric ulcer and 32 with chronic active gastritis. Serum ghrelin levels were measured by radioimmunoassay method.

Serum ghrelin level was significantly lower in patients with hyperplastic gastric polyp (1139.86 ± 279.23 pg/ml) than in those with benign gastric ulcer (1362.45 ± 335.35 pg/ml) and chronic active gastritis (1362.91 ± 269.67 pg/ml) (p=0.016 and p=0.003, respectively). The benign gastric ulcer and chronic active gastritis groups had similar serum values (p=0.996). Serum ghrelin level was not affected by Helicobacter pylori, with levels of 1298.70 ± 309.01 pg/ml and 1252.12 ± 303.04 pg/ml in 56 positive and 24 negative patients, respectively (p=0.536). In the patients with hyperplastic gastric polyp, Helicobacter pylori infection was found to have no effect on serum ghrelin level (p=0.855).

Serum ghrelin levels of patients with hyperplastic gastric polyp were lower than in patients with benign gastric ulcer and chronic active gastritis. In patients with various benign stomach lesions, the presence of Helicobacter pylori does not seem to affect serum ghrelin levels.