Course of Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis in adolescents with hypovitaminosis D

Abstract

Introduction. The multifactorial nature of the occurrence and phasing of inflammatory changes in the gastric mucosa determine the need to search for conditions that can affect the slowing of the progression of gastritis in children.
 Aim: to determine the manifestations of Helicobacter pylori-associated antrum gastritis in adolescents with hypovitaminosis D.
 Material and methods. Ninety three 12–17 years adolescents with a morphologically confirmed diagnosis of gastritis were exa­mined. The content of vitamin D in the blood was determined using the ELISA method. Adolescents were divided into groups depending on the level of vitamin D supply and the period of solar insolation at the time of the examination. 
 Results. H. pylori infection in adolescents with hypovitaminosis D had a pronounced tendency to increase — 75% (53.6% in child­ren with sufficient vitamin D levels; p = 0.067).
 The frequency of H. pylori among adolescents examined during low solar insolation was higher than during high solar insolation (p = 0.015). During the period of low solar insolation, the highest rates of H. pylori infection in children were found among adolescents with vitamin D deficiency (88.2% compared to 62.1% among children with a normal vitamin D supply; p = 0.057). During the period of high insolation, H. pylori infection was approximately the same (p = 0.82).
 Antral gastritis with high activity was predominantly detected in adolescents infected with H. pylori and its frequency did not depend on the level of vitamin D in the blood.
 Conclusion. Hypovitaminosis D is associated with H. pylori-associated gastritis, characterized by greater activity of the inflammatory process and has a clear relationship with the intensity of solar insolation.