Review - Helicobacter pylori and non-malignant upper gastro-intestinal diseases.

Abstract

This review takes into account recent publications focusing on the relationship betweenHelicobacter pyloriinfection and non-malignant diseases of the upper gastro-intestinal tract. The authors have summarized current knowledge on associations between the Hpylori infection and non-malignant upper GI conditions including gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Barrett's esophagus, eosinophilic esophagitis (EOE), peptic ulcer disease (PUD), Hpylori gastritis, celiac disease and functional dyspepsia. In the field of GERD, current data focusing on different locations of Hpylori infection detect significant differences between antrum- and corpus predominant gastritis explainable by different changes in acid secretion in different gastric niches. High volume studies from Sweden and Brazil underline the safety of Hpylori eradication concerning the risk of Barret's esophagus or adenocarcinoma. The relationship betweenHpylori infection and EOE remains uncertain, but current data supports the concept of expected positive and protective effects of Hpylori exposure reducing the risk of EOE. Analyzing biomarkers might be helpful to identify subjects under risk for the development of precancerous lesions after H pylori infection, where microRNAs, IL-9 and IL-4, and also Tc17/9 and Th17/9 and microbiota profiles showed promising results to identify subgroups under risk.