[Connection between Helicobacter pylori infection and chronic gastrointestinal urticaria]

Chronic urticaria is a disease of unknown etiology. One type of the disease is accompanied by gastrointestinal complaints. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in patients with chronic urticaria, and measure the effectiveness of eradication of HP on the skin disease. Patients with chronic urticaria of other origin were excluded from the study. Forty patients out of 95 studied fulfilled the criteria of gastrointestinal urticaria. H. pylori was measured both by measuring H. pylori-specific IgG in the serum and by direct staining of biopsy specimen taken upon endoscopy prior to and after the treatment. Seventeen patients out of 40 with gastrointestinal urticaria were H. pylori positive which incidence (43%) is not higher than that of the age matched healthy population in Hungary. H. pylori positive patients were treated with amoxycillin (4 x 500 mg/die), bismuth subsalicilate (3 x 512 mg/die) and metronidazole (2 x 500 mg/die) for two weeks, respectively, and those remaining positive were treated by omeprazole (2 x 20 mg/die) and amoxycillin for additional two weeks. Eradication of HP infection was successful in all patients. Follow-up was conducted from 6-18 months for urticaria (frequency, duration) and antihistamine drug requirement. Chronic urticaria did not disappeared after the eradication of H. pylori, but there was a significant reduction both in frequency, duration of urticaria and the need for antihistamine therapy after eradication of H. pylori. It was concluded that H. pylorilinfection has no effect on the course of chronic urticaria. Reduction in frequency of urticaria symptoms and reduction of antihistamine requirement is partly due to the natural course of the disease and likely due to the altered bacterial flora of the gut following the combined antibiotic treatment.