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Helicobacter pylori infection leads to chronic gastritis, which can progress to intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia, and even gastric cancer. Chronic gastritis can also decrease production of gastric acid and possibly affect the spectrum of conditions related to gastroesophageal reflux, including Barrett esophagus.
To explore the epidemiologic associations among these disorders, industry-sponsored investigators reviewed the biopsy results from a major reference gastrointestinal pathology laboratory that serves approximately 1500 gastroenterologists. Histologic findings on gastric biopsies from 78,985 patients were correlated with the presence of Barrett esophageal metaplasia, adjusted for age, sex, state of residence, and insurance type.
H. py…