Seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with chronic nonspecific pharyngitis:: preliminary study

Background and objectives: Chronic nonspecific pharyngitis is a chronic inflammation of the pharynx. It is found worldwide, and treatment is difficult. The underlying aetiopathogenesis is still controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate Helicobacter pylori seroprevalence in chronic nonspecific pharyngitis patients without other possible causative factors for chronic pharyngeal irritation and without H pylori gastric mucosal infection. Materials and methods: Forty-one patients with symptoms of chronic nonspecific pharyngitis and 30 healthy control subjects were enrolled in this prospective, controlled, clinical study. In both study and control groups, selected patients were shown to have gastric mucosa uninfected by H pylori, as demonstrated by the 14C-urea breath test. Comprehensive otorhinolaryngological examination did not elicit any factor contributing to the chronic pharyngeal complaint. Serum H pylori immunoglobulin G antibody titres were assayed using serum enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The difference between the study and control groups was analysed by the chi-square test (the likelihood ratio was used). Results: Thirty-two of the 41 patients (78 per cent) and 14 of the 30 control subjects (46.7 per cent) were found to be H pylori positive. Patients with chronic nonspecific pharyngitis were found to have a significantly higher rate of H pylori seropositivity than the control group (p = 0.016). Conclusion: These data may be important in developing future treatment strategies for chronic nonspecific pharyngitis.