ABSTRACT
Aim Estimate the prevalence of gastric polyps linked to long-term use of proton pump inhibitor (PPI), determine the various risk factors that promote this association, and identify the characteristics associated with these polyps. Methods This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted on approximately 1000 patients presenting to the Gastroenterology Endoscopic Department for upper GI endoscopy at two hospital centers in Beirut, Lebanon, over a period of 12 months from September 2021 to September 2022. The demographic and clinical data of patients who had been taking PPIs for at least one month were collected via a questionnaire. All patients with a previous Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, presence of hypergastrinemia, or a personal/family history of gastric polyps were excluded from this study. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 20 software. Categorical variables were compared by Fisher's exact test; p-values of less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results The prevalence of gastric polyps linked to long-term PPI use was 30%. The minimum duration of daily PPI use required for the formation of polyps is around 24 months. The dosage did not play a significant role in increasing this prevalence. A significant correlation was found between chronic PPI use and factors such as sex, age range, duration, and type of PPI used. These polyps were predominantly found in females (with an OR of 2.9), increased with age, were mostly of the fundic gland type, and their size was proportionally linked to both the dosage and duration of daily PPI use. No cases of dysplasia within the fundic gland polyps (FGPs) were demonstrated in our study. Conclusion To date, there is no current data that prove an association between gastric cancer and PPI-induced FGPs. Additionally, the incidence of FGPs has increased with the widespread chronic use of PPIs. Therefore, attention should be drawn to the potential risk of dysplasia. Thus, the present study highlights the importance of limiting the prescription of PPIs to globally well-defined indications and determining the various risk factors that promote the association between gastric polyps and PPI use. This abstract was recently presented as an E-poster at the ESGE Days 2024 Congress on April 25-27, 2024, in Berlin, Germany.
ABSTRACT
Background: Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten, that occurs in susceptible individuals and is associated with dietary restriction and subsequent nutritional deficiencies. This study investigated the diet quality, nutrition imbalances and nutrition status among young children, adolescents and adults with CD who were referred to several hospitals in Lebanon. Methods: A cross-sectional study in 50 individuals (31.74 ± 15.64 years) with CD was conducted, using biochemical parameters, anthropometric measurements, dietary and physical activity assessments. Results: Of the 50 participants, 38% and 16% were presenting low serum levels of iron and vitamin B12, respectively. The majority of participants were physically inactive and around 40% of them had low muscle mass. A weight loss of 10% to 30% indicating mild to moderate malnutrition was shown in 14% of individuals. The assessment of food-related behaviors shows that 80% of participants were reading nutrition labels and 96% of them were following gluten-free diets (GFD). Some barriers including family ignorance (6%), language of the nutrition labels (20%) and expensive GF products (78%) were limiting the adherence to GFD. The inadequacy of the daily energy intake along with insufficient intakes of calcium and vitamin D were remarked among individuals with CD. However, protein and iron intake were exceeding the recommendations among all age groups, except in males aged 4-8 years and 19-30 years. Half the study participants were using dietary supplements where 38%, 10%, 46%, 18%, 16% and 4% used vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, folate and probiotics, respectively. Conclusion: GFD is the key treatment for CD. However, it is not without inadequacies and may cause certain deficiencies such as calcium and vitamin D leading to reduced bone density. This underlines the critical role of dietitians in education and maintenance of healthy GFD among individuals with CD.