Multicenter study of autoimmune gastritis in Japan: Clinical and endoscopic characteristics.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: In Japan, the prevalence of autoimmune gastritis (AIG) is assumed to be very low. With the recent rapid decrease in Helicobacter pylori (Hp) prevalence, reports on AIG are increasing. This multicenter registry study aimed to clarify the characteristics of AIG, especially its endoscopic appearance. METHODS: A total of 245 patients with AIG from 11 institutions in Japan from January 2010 to October 2016 were included, and their clinical and endoscopic findings were evaluated. RESULTS: Mean age was 67.2 ± 11.4 years, and 63.7% of the participants were women. The most common approach to diagnose AIG was endoscopic examination. Repeated incorrect treatment for Hp infection, due to a false-positive result in 13 C-urea breath test, ranked third among the basis for diagnosis of AIG. Associated gastric lesions were type 1 neuroendocrine tumor (11.4%), adenocarcinoma (9.8%), and hyperplastic polyps (21.1%). Corpus pan-atrophy was the most common appearance (90.1%); however, remnant oxyntic mucosa was found in 31.5% of the patients (flat, localized type, 48.6%). Sticky adherent dense mucus and scattered minute whitish protrusions were also observed in approximately 30% of the patients. Despite the prevailing presumption of the antral mucosa remaining normal, 42.3% of the patients presented with various extents of atrophy, and patchy redness and circular wrinkle-like patterns were both observed in approximately 20% of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed some prominent clinical characteristics and endoscopic findings of AIG. We believe that our study will facilitate the diagnosis of potential AIG.

Risk factors for reflux esophagitis after eradication of Helicobacter pylori.

Objective: While there is an association between successful eradication of Helicobacter pylori (HP) and reflux esophagitis (RE), risk factors associated with RE remain obscure. The aim of this study is to determine risk factors associated with the development of RE after HP eradication.Materials and methods: Among all patients treated with successful HP eradication from 2008 to 2016, we retrospectively analyzed those who were free from RE at initial esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and who were followed up with EGD after eradication. Patients were classified according to the presence or absence of RE at the follow-up EGD. RE was defined as mucosal breaks proximal to the squamous-columnar junction. Demographic data, underlying diseases, medications and endoscopic findings at the initial EGD were compared between patients with and without RE.Results: Among 1575 patients, 142 (9.0%) had RE at the follow-up EGD. The time interval from HP eradication until EGD ranged from 4 to 24 months. The endoscopic grade of RE was higher in males than in females. Multivariate analysis revealed that male sex (odds ratio [OR], 1.51; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-2.24), body mass index ≥25 kg/m2 (OR, 2.91; 95% CI, 2.00-4.22), use of calcium channel blockers (OR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.12-2.55), and hiatal hernia (OR, 3.46; 95% CI, 2.41-5.00) were associated with the development of RE.Conclusions: Calcium channel blocker use was found to be a risk factor for the development of RE after eradication of HP.

Continuing use of antithrombotic medications for patients with bleeding gastroduodenal ulcer requiring endoscopic hemostasis: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare clinical characteristics and outcomes of bleeding gastroduodenal ulcer between patients taking antithrombotic medications and those not taking antithrombotic medications. METHODS: We performed a case-control study of 346 patients with endoscopically verified bleeding gastroduodenal ulcer, which included 173 cases taking antithrombotic medications throughout peri-bleeding period and 173 age- and sex-matched controls not taking antithrombotic medications. RESULTS: The cases showed less frequent Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infections (45.1% versus 60.7%, p = .005), more frequent duodenal location (31.8% versus 19.1%, p = .009), and more frequent rebleeding (13.9% versus 5.8%, p = .02) than the controls. Multivariate analysis revealed that duodenal location (odds ratio [OR] 3.01, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.37-6.65) and use of antithrombotic medications (OR 2.47, 95% CI 1.13-5.77) were independent factors for rebleeding. However, there were no differences in clinical outcomes, including final successful endoscopic hemostasis, need for surgical intervention, and mortality between cases and controls. Thromboembolic events did not occur in any cases and controls during the periendoscopic period. CONCLUSIONS: Low prevalence of H. pylori infection, frequent duodenal location, and high rebleeding rate are characteristics of patients with bleeding gastroduodenal ulcer under antithrombotic medications. Continuation of antithrombotic medications can be accepted for bleeding gastroduodenal ulcer.

Whipple's disease diagnosed using electron microscopy and polymerase chain reaction.

A 50-year-old man presented with bloody diarrhea and 25-kg weight loss over 3 months. Upper and lower endoscopy showed diffuse shaggy white villi in the duodenum and terminal ileum. In addition, capsule endoscopy and double-balloon enteroscopy revealed shaggy white villi in the entire small intestine. Histological examination of biopsy specimens found the lamina propria of the duodenal and intestinal mucosa to be densely infiltrated by rich foamy macrophages that were periodic acid-Schiff-positive. Electron microscopy showed numerous bacilli in the lamina propria. Tropheryma whipplei DNA was detected in the specimens by polymerase chain reaction. Based on these findings, the patient was diagnosed with Whipple's disease. He was treated with a 2-week course of ceftriaxone followed by trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. At the 2-month follow up, diffuse white shaggy villi improved dramatically.

Time trends of the impact of Helicobacter pylori infection and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on peptic ulcer bleeding in Japanese patients.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Helicobacter pylori infection and the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the main causes of peptic ulcers. The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the time trends of the impact of H. pylori infection and use of NSAIDs and/or antithrombotic agents on peptic ulcer bleeding (PUB) in Japanese patients. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 719 patients who had received endoscopic hemostasis for PUB between 2002 and 2013. Subjects were divided into either the first-half group (2002-2007, n = 363) or the second-half group (2008-2013, n = 356). The clinical characteristics of the patients, including the prevalence of H. pylori infection and use of NSAIDs and antithrombotic agents, were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Compared to the first-half group, patients in the second-half group were characterized by older age (proportion of the patients above 60 years old, 63.9 vs. 76.7%, p = 0.0002), less frequent H. pylori infection (71.6 vs. 57.9%, p < 0.001) and more frequent NSAID intake (39.9 vs. 48.6%, p = 0.02). No significant difference was observed regarding the use of antithrombotic agents between the two groups (18.6 vs. 23.3%, p = 0.13). The prevalence of H. pylori infection and proportion of patients above 60 years old were significantly different between the two groups in a multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: The main cause of PUB has clearly shifted from H. pylori infection to the use of NSAIDs over the last decade.

Preoperative diagnostic value of single-balloon enteroscopy for successful surgical treatment of three independent-origin gastrointestinal malignant tumors: report of a case.

A 67-year-old woman with bloody stools underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy, which revealed the presence of a submucosal tumor in the stomach and an adenocarcinoma in the ascending colon. Preoperative screening disclosed an additional 10-cm tumor in the abdomen between the gastric and colonic lesions. Single-balloon enteroscopy was therefore performed. A nonstenotic, circumferential, bleeding ulcerative lesion was found in the jejunum, and the biopsy revealed malignant lymphoma (ML). A partial resection of the small intestine, ascending colectomy, and wedge resection of the stomach were performed, then systemic chemotherapy for ML was started 2 weeks after surgery. Triple gastrointestinal malignant tumors with different histologies are extremely rare, and have not been previously reported. Single-balloon enteroscopy in this case led to a definite diagnosis by biopsy, thus allowing the patient to receive chemotherapy as soon as possible after surgery.