Death anxiety and its association with hypochondriasis and medically unexplained symptoms: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically review of the available literature to (1) examine the association between death anxiety and hypochondriasis and (2) examine the association between death anxiety and medically unexplained symptoms (MUS). METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted in Embase, PsycINFO, Pubmed and Ovid databases and reference lists of selected articles. Articles were included when the research population concerned people with hypochondriasis and/or MUS in who death anxiety was assessed by a validated research method. Two independent reviewers verified that the studies met the inclusion criteria, assessed the quality of the studies and extracted relevant characteristics and data. The data were descriptively analysed. RESULTS: Of the 1087 references identified in the search, six studies on the association between death anxiety and hypochondriasis and three studies on the association between death anxiety and MUS met inclusion criteria. All studies found a positive association of death anxiety with hypochondriasis and/or MUS. The design of all studies was cross-sectional and the overall quality of the studies was low. The influence of age or sex on these associations was not analysed in any of the studies. Given the diversity in setting, population, study design, and methods used, a meta-analysis was not possible. CONCLUSION: All studies found a positive association of death anxiety with hypochondriasis and/or MUS. Acknowledging that death anxiety may play a prominent role in hypochondriasis/MUS populations, future research should address (potentially modifiable) determinants of death anxiety in these populations.

Characteristics of clinical Helicobacter pylori strains from Ecuador.

In Ecuador, Helicobacter pylori infections are highly prevalent. A total of 42 H. pylori clinical isolates from 86 patients attending the outpatient clinic of the gastroenterology department of the university hospital of Guayaquil in Ecuador were characterized. Their susceptibility, and cagA and vacA status were determined. Resistance to metronidazole and clarithromycin was found in 80.9% and 9.5% of strains, respectively. Neither amoxicillin- nor tetracycline-resistant strains were found. The most prevalent genotype was the cagA(+), vacA s1b,m1 type. This genotype was associated with gastric cancer and peptic ulcer. Typing by random amplified polymorphic DNA showed no genetic relationship among the strains.