Abstract

OCHOA SILVA, Régulo et al. Asociación entre infección gástrica por helicobacter pylori y encefalopatía hepática en pacientes cirróticos. Gen [online]. 2008, vol.62, n.3, pp.210-216. ISSN 0016-3503.

Introduction: The hepatic encephalopathy is a neuro psychiatric syndrome that happens in patients with chronic hepatopaties, associated to the excessive ammonium production. Helicobacter pylori (Hp) is a microorganism with abundant production of urease, which increases the ammonium levels. Materials and methods: Case-control type study cases to consider the association epidemiologist between hepatic encephalopaty and gastric Infection by Hp by means of gastric biopsies and test of urease in adult cirrhosis patients of the IAHULA from December 2005 to 2006 July. Results: 33 patients were studied. The percentage of infection by Hp was 51.51%, without difference between cases and controls. The serum ammonium levels did not differ either. 57% of the patients with compensated cirrhosis were Hp (-). Conclusions and discussion: The gastric infection by Hp was not a factor of independent risk for hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhotic patients. The serum ammonium levels did not correlate with the infection by Hp nor with the presence or absence of hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhotic patients. The gastric infection by Hp was a factor of independent risk for the presence of cirrhosis compensated in the encephalopatic patients. The infection by Hp seemed to protect to the cirrhotic patients group of hepatic functional deterioration.

Keywords : Helicobacter pylori; hepatic cirrhosis; hepatic encephalopathy.