Análise comparativa e epidemiológica da colonização oral e gástrica por Helicobacter pylori em pacientes sintomáticos

Abstract

Context: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a bacterium that colonizes the human gastric environment and is associated with significant complications. Additionally, it may also be present in the oral cavity; however, the relationship between the presence of the bacterium in these sites remains uncertain. Objective: To determine the prevalence of H. pylori colonization in both the oral and gastric cavities in symptomatic patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy with gastric biopsy. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted at Hospital São Vicente de Paulo (HSVP). Patients of both sexes who agreed to participate by signing the Informed Consent Form (ICF), answered a structured questionnaire including sociodemographic and clinical information, and underwent oral cavity sample collection for H. pylori detection through Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) were included. The presence of the bacterium in the gastric cavity was determined through histopathological analysis performed by the Pathology Department of HSVP. The significance level adopted for the analyses was 5%. Results: The sample included 79 patients, predominantly women (45 (57.0%)), with a mean age of 54.7 ± 15.7 years, mostly living in urban areas (65 (82.3%)) and with 1 to 2 residents per household (38 (48.1%)). The predominant education level was complete or incomplete higher education (30 (38.0%)). Most participants were non-smokers (51 (64.6%)), non-drinkers (36 (45.6%)), and had previously undergone endoscopy (52 (72.2%)). Symptomatic individuals also made up the majority of the sample (70 (88.6%)). The presence of H. pylori in the gastric cavity was studied in 42 participants and detected in 7 of them (16.7%). In the oral cavity, 61 participants were analyzed, and a prevalence of 8.2% (n=5) was found. The relationship between oral and gastric H. pylori was not analyzed due to the low number of positive cases. Conclusion: The study found a prevalence of H. pylori in 8.2% of oral cavity samples and 16.7% in the stomach. However, it was not possible to investigate a significant relationship between the two sites, as none of the positive cases overlapped.