The Effect of Helicobacter pylori Eradication on Changes in Serum Ghrelin and Leptin Levels

Abstract

This study has been conducted in Gastrointestinal Unit, internal medicine department, Ain Shams University, on 40 patients with dyspeptic symptoms (epigastric pain, bloating, early stiation and heartburn) for more than 4 weeks, all patients above 18 years. Patients excluded from the study were those on proton pump inhibitor therapy for more than 4 weeks, patients previously diagnosed as (GERD), patients with alcoholic gastritis, patients with intra abdominal malignancies including lymphomas and gastric carcinoma, patients with chronic liver disease and those on corticosteroid therapy or NSAIDS. After complete clinical and laboratory assessment for included patients and diagnosis of H. pylori infection depending on detection of H. pylori stool antigen, fasting serum leptin and plasma ghrelin were determined by appropriate laboratory method (ELISA), and BMI was calculating depending on body weight (kg) and height (m2). Eradication of H. pylori infection was done in all patients with 14 days regimen of omeprazol 20 mg twice daily, amoxicillin 1000 mg twice daily and clarithromycin 500 mg twice daily. Four weeks after finishing treatment, H. pylori stool antigen was repeated to test eradication success, 32 patients (22 females and 10 males) showed successful eradication while 8 patients (4 females and 4 males) showed failed eradication. • 12 weeks after initial determination of serum leptin and plasma ghrelin, another blood sample was withdrawn from every patient to re-determine post eradication level of leptin and ghrelin. • Our study showed 80% eradication rate of H. pylori with no significant correlation with sex or BMI before treatment or any of the measured laboratory parameters to H. pylori eradication. • Serum ghrelin levels were significantly increased after H. pylori eradication regimen (3.412 ± 3.34 ng/ml Vs 3.599 ± 3.25 ng/ml, t – 2.104, p 0.049).