OBJECTIVE:In patients who experience difficulties in oral feeding, alimentary intake can be supported by creating direct access into the stomach through a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. The present study purposed to compare naïve and exchanged percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tubes in terms of Helicobacter pylori infection and other clinical characteristics. METHODS: A total of 96 cases who underwent naïve or exchanged percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy procedures with various indications were incorporated into the study. The patients' demographic data, such as age and gender, etiology of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, anti-HBs status, Helicobacter pylori status, the presence of atrophy and intestinal metaplasia, biochemical parameters, and lipid profiles, had been analyzed. In addition, the anti-HCV and anti-HIV statuses had also been evaluated. RESULTS: The most common indication for percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy placement was dementia in 26 (27.08%) cases (p=0.033). The presence of Helicobacter pylori positivity was significantly lower in the exchange group compared to the naïve group (p=0.022). Total protein, albumin, and lymphocyte levels were significantly higher in the exchange group compared to the naïve group (both p=0.001), and the mean calcium, hemoglobin, and hematocrit levels were statistically significantly higher in the exchange group (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Preliminary outcomes of the present study revealed that enteral nutrition attenuates the incidence of Helicobacter pylori infection. Considering the acute-phase reactant, the significantly lower ferritin values in the exchange group suggest that there is no active inflammatory process in the patients and that immunity is sufficient.

Objective: Excessive salt consumption could play a role for developing gastric cancer as well as Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection. However, there is no report about the connection between serum sodium levels and HP infection. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum sodium disorders and HP infection. Material and Methods: In this single-center, retrospective, descriptive study, we evaluated the presence of HP infection by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) among patient with serum sodium disturbances. Patients were divided into two groups as to their serum sodium levels (hypernatremia: Sodium level above 145 mmol/l, and hyponatremia: Sodium level below 135 mmol/l). Results: In total, 54 patients, half of them were hypernatremic (27), included in the study. At total, 15 (55.6%) patients tested positive for HP immunoglobulin G (Ig G) by ELISA method in hyponatremic patients, 17 (63%) patients tested positive for HP Ig G in hypernatremic patients. There was no difference between groups in terms of HP Ig G seropositivity (p=0.58). Other hand, 9 (33%) patients tested positive for HP Ig A among hyponatremic patients, 19 (70%) patients tested positive for HP Ig A in hypernatremic patients (p=0.029). Conclusion: According to our results, Hypernatremic patients have high risk for HP infection. Other hand, the presence of HP infection could be a driven-factor in the development of hypernatremia among elderly patients. Larger-scale studies are needed to reveal the relationship between hypernatremia and gastroenteritis.