Prevalence of Campylobacter pylori in patients undergoing upper endoscopy

From August 1987 through July 1988, we evaluated antral biopsy specimens for Campylobacter pylori (CP) in 212 patients undergoing upper endoscopy. For those patients who had multiple endoscopies, the first endoscopy in which a urease test, histology, and culture were done was used to determine CP status. A patient was regarded as CP-positive if the culture was positive or if both a urease test and the histology were positive. Blacks had an increased CP positivity (61.2%) compared to whites (31.5%). Among non-ulcer patients, CP positivity was 52% in black patients and 18% in white patients. Age and gender were unrelated to CP positivity among controls and those without ulcers. There was increased CP positivity in patients with duodenal ulcers (85%), compared with those without ulcers (37%), and a trend toward increased positivity in those with gastric ulcer (53%) and duodenitis (50%). There was no increased CP positivity in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (28%), gastritis (29%), non-ulcer dyspepsia (43%), or the control patients with no gastroduodenal mucosal abnormalities (40%). CP-negative DU patients were older (average 71 yr) than CP-positive DU patients (43 yr), and female DU patients had a lower CP positivity (71%) than males (94%).