Helicobacter pylori antibodies in hemodialysis patients and renal transplant recipients

Abstract

In this cross-sectional, controlled study, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, a probable factor in the development of gastrointestinal problems, was investigated in dialysis patients and renal transplant recipients. Forty-seven dialysis patients (22 male, 25 female, mean age of 36.6 +/- 15 yr (range 18-83 yr)), 57 renal transplant recipients (39 male, 18 female, mean age of 36.8 +/- 10 yr (range 19-60 yr)) and 55 healthy individuals (34 male, 21 female, mean age of 33.4 +/- 9.6 yr (range 21-58 yr)) were included and no significant difference was found in the study groups. The mean time spent on dialysis in the hemodialysis group was 32.5 +/- 27.7 months (range 1-100 months). H. pylori antibodies were detected in 22 of 57 (38.6%) patients in the transplantation group, 31 of 47 (65.9%) patients in the dialysis group and 39 of 55 (72.5%) in the control group. No correlation was found between H. pylori infection and age, sex, primary disease, frequency of dialysis, duration and type of transplantation and the immunosuppressive therapy. However, patients with H. pylori antibodies spent a shorter time on dialysis compared to patients without the antibodies (26.6 +/- 23.5 vs 44.1 +/- 32.1 months, p = 0.038). The frequency of H. pylori infection in the transplantation group was significantly lower than the control and dialysis groups (p < 0.01). This finding may be explained on the basis of decreased humoral antibody response to H. pylori infection, secondary to immunosuppressive therapy rather than decreased incidence of infection in the transplantation group. Finally, we concluded that the value of the serological test for diagnosis of H. pylori infection should be interpreted cautiously in these patient groups.