Relationship between ghrelin and Helicobacter pylori infection in Polish adult shepherds and their children

Abstract

Summary

Background

Ghrelin stimulates food intake and body weight gain. The stomach is the major source of circulating ghrelin, but controversy exists over the relationship between ghrelin release and Helicobacter pylori infection.

Aim

To assess the relationship between H. pylori infection and ghrelin, leptin and gastrin release in adult shepherds and their children, and to measure the effect of H. pylori eradication on gastric ghrelin content.

Methods

H. pylori prevalence was compared in 42 shepherds with full contact with sheep, 148 farmers without sheep contact and in 61 age-matched urban adult controls as well as in 58 shepherd children with sheep contact, 88 mountain children without contact and 141 urban children controls. Serum levels of ghrelin, leptin and gastrin in adult shepherds and their children with and without H. pylori infection were measured.

Results

The major source of circulating ghrelin was gastric corpus mucosa, as ghrelin content was severalfold higher than that in antral mucosa and was significantly higher in the H. pylori-eradicated than that in H. pylori-infected mucosa. Serum levels of ghrelin were greatly increased, while gastrin levels were significantly decreased in H. pylori-negative as compared with H. pylori-positive subjects. In mountain children, serum levels of ghrelin and leptin were about twofold higher in H. pylori-negative than in H. pylori-positive children, whereas gastrin levels were significantly reduced in H. pylori-negative children.

Conclusions

The high incidence of H. pylori infection in shepherds and their children seems to contribute to the decreased serum levels of ghrelin and increased levels of gastrin in H. pylori-infected mountain children and to their decreased appetite and dyspeptic symptoms.