Introduction: Association of Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection with the length of dialysis in dialysis patients is contradictory.
This study was conducted in order to determine the association between the duration of dialysis and the HP infection status in the
dialysis patients. Furthemore, biochemical parameters were monitored in two subject groups that were included in this study.
Subjects and methods: The study included 51 patients on chronic hemodialysis program who had gastrointestinal symptoms. The
subjects were divided in two groups per the length of dialysis treatment. In this study we analyzed age, gender, the time period since
the onset of the chronic hemodialysis program, body mass index, biochemical parameters, and whether the patients have arterial
hypertension and/or diabetes. The presence of HP antigen was determined in the stool samples with use of he UlcoGnost AG test plate.
Results: The incidence of HP infection in hemodialysis patients, with some of the gastrointestinal symptoms, was 25.5%. Patients
on hemodialysis for less than 24 months had lower incidence of HP infection than those on hemodialysis program for more than 24
months. HP positive and HP negative subjects were also compared by gender, age, biochemical parameters and body mass index.
There was no statistical significant difference between the groups in any of those characteristics. When comparing the HP status of
the subjects with the presence of arterial hypertension and diabetes, no statistically significant difference was found between the
groups.
Conclusion: This study showed negative correlation between HP infection and the length of hemodialysis program. Analysis of
age, gender, body mass index, biochemical parameters, presence of arterial hypertension and/or diabetes showed no statistically
significant difference was found between the hemodialysis patients who were HP positive and those who were HP negative.
Additional studies are needed to elucidate the correlation mechanism between the HP infection and the duration of dialysis, in order
to examine how long the dialysis time period is the most susceptible to HP infection, and then to improve the prognosis of patients
with renal disease
