The Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in Nonulcer Dyspepsia

•Helicobacter pylori(formerlyCampylobacter pylori) is causally related to active antral gastritis and is highly associated with duodenal and gastric ulcers. However, the relationship ofH pylorito nonulcer dyspepsia is less clear. We determined the presence ofH pyloriin unselected patients who were undergoing upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy, and we found a prevalence of 37% in 110 patients with nonulcer dyspepsia that was similar to previous data. Patients with nonulcer dyspepsia who hadH pyloriwere found to be significantly older than patients with nonulcer dyspepsia who did not haveH pylori. In addition, when stratified according to age, we detected an increased prevalence ofH pyloriin patients with nonulcer dyspepsia with increasing age, similar to that reported for asymptomatic control populations. This finding casts doubt as to the causal role ofH pylorifor most patients with nonulcer dyspepsia and stresses the importance of considering epidemiologic factors, such as age, when evaluating the role ofH pyloriin specific disease states. (Arch Intern Med.1990;150:2053-2055)