Helicobacter pylori Infection: Protective Against Increased Interdialytic Weight Gain in Asymptomatic Hemodialysis Patients?

Objective Infection with Helicobacter pylori , which induces persistent and uncontrolled gastric inflammation leading to decreased appetite, might be protective against obesity. There is a close relationship between interdialytic weight gain (IDWG) and nutritional parameters, confirming the role of IDWG as a marker of calorie and protein intake in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Hypothesis of the present study was that infection with H pylori in subjects with uremia might cause inflammation, diminished appetite, anorexia, and decreased IDWG. Design A cross-sectional study was conducted. Settings This trial involved HD patients from a state hospital. Methods Demographic, laboratory, and clinical parameters were collected. All patients were clinically stable and euvolemic and their average IDWG percent was calculated. Malnutrition inflammation score, spKt/V, and normalized protein equivalent of total nitrogen appearance were determined. Patients were asked to rate their appetite status from 1 to 5 on a Likert scale (very good, good, fair, poor, and very poor appetite, respectively). An H pylori infection was detected by the H pylori stool antigen (HpSA) in all the patients. Results HpSA was positive in 18 (30%) patients. None of the demographic and laboratory parameters differed between patients infected with HpSA and the noninfected patients. Stepwise linear regression analysis of independent factors related with IDWG% revealed that daily urine output ( β = −0.432, P β = +0.343, P = .004), and hemoglobin ( β = +0.358, P = .003) were related with IDWG%. Conclusions Infection with H pylori is not related with IDWG% and nutritional parameters in HD patients.