Salivary Changes in Helicobacter Pylori-Positive (HP+) Chronic Gastritis

Introduction: Diagnosis and monitoring of chronic gastritis are most commonly by invasive endoscopic-biopsy technique. Finding non-invasive laboratory markers would save money and inconvenience for the patient. Saliva, with its essential protective role for the digestive system, is increasingly recognised as a good non-invasive diagnostic material. Aim: To study several biochemical parameters in the saliva of patients with chronic gastritis (HP+ and HP-), to compare their levels with those of healthy subjects and to establish correlation relationships between their serum and salivary concentrations with a view to their possible use as a diagnostic tool. Material and method: 140 subjects were studied, of which 60 patients (mean 58.73±12.08y) with chronic gastritis (44HP+ and 16HP-) with disease activity assessed by subjective complaints, serological and endoscopic findings. The control group consisted of 80 healthynon-smoking volunteers (mean 56.86±8.67y). Unstimulated saliva and serum were used for analysis. The parameters we study are Uric Acid (UA), Total Protein (TPro), Albumin (Alb) and Secretory IgA (sIg A). They are analysed with B.Coulter ready-made kits with an adaptation of the oral fluid methods of an Olympus AU 640 biochemical analyser and ELISA Reader DiaMetra Italy. Results: Significantly higher values of sIgA(p<0.0001), Alb(p<0.0001) and TP(p=0.0434) were observed in HP+ patients compared to the control group, but not for UA. We found a correlation between saliva/serum values for UA only (r=0.3389, p=0.011). A moderate negative correlation existed between UA and endoscopic inflammatory changes (r=-0.4203, p=0.016). These changes are thought to be compensatory for the gastric inflammation, increased oxidative stress and altered salivary flow rate. Conclusion: The data indicate significant changes in salivary parameters in HP+ chronic gastritis. Saliva has its weaknesses as a biological material, but it reflects well the pathological processes in the digestive system, especially with HP+ infection.