Does helicobacter pylori have a role in the etiology of adenoid hypertrophy?

To investigate whether there is any association between nasopharyngeal reflux and adenoid hypertrophy in children by using 24-h pH monitoring with dual probe and to determine whether Helicobacter pylori simply colonises in adenoid tissue or it is present there temporarily due to extraesophageal reflux. A prospective study at a tertiary referral center. Thirty-two patients who underwent adenoidectomy, aged ranged between 4 and 13 were included. All children with adenoid hypertrophy underwent 24-h pH monitoring with a dual probe. Proximal probe was placed in the nasopharynx. The presence of nasopharyngeal reflux and gastroesophageal reflux were investigated by 24-h pH monitoring. The presence of H. pylori was investigated in adenoidectomy samples by HP-fast test. Of the 32 patients who underwent adenoidectomy, 5 had nasopharyngeal reflux positivity while 27 patients did not show nasopharyngeal reflux positivity with pH monitorisation. Helicobacter pylori could not be detected in 5 nasopharyngeal reflux positive children while 3 of 27 nasopharyngeal reflux negative children showed H. pylori positivity, one of them in the mucosa and others in the core. This study demonstrated the high incidence of nasopharyngeal reflux and gastroesophageal reflux in adenoid hypertrophy and the possible colonisation of H. pylori in the adenoid tissue. This may change the assesment of children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy in near future. However, more placebo controlled and double blind studies and larger series are still needed to support this hypothesis.