| Summary: | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>H. pylori</it> infection has been associated with many micronutrient deficiencies. There is a dearth of data from communities with nutritional deficiencies and high prevalence of <it>H. pylori</it> infection. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of <it>H. pylori</it> infection on serum levels of vitamin B<sub>12</sub>, folate and homocysteine in patients with functional dyspepsia (FD).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>One hundred and thirty-two patients with FD undergoing gastroscopy were enrolled. The serum was analyzed for B<sub>12</sub>, folate and homocysteine levels before gastroscopy. <it>H. pylori</it> infection was diagnosed by histopathological examination of gastric biopsies and urea breath test. An independent sample <it>t</it>-test and the Mann–Whitney test were used to compare mean serum concentrations of biomarkers between <it>H. pylori-</it>positive and <it>H. pylori-</it>negative groups of patients. A Chi-square test was performed to assess the differences among proportions, while Spearman’s rho was used for correlation analysis between levels of B<sub>12</sub> and homocysteine.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean age of the group was 40.3 ± 11.5 (19–72) years. Folate deficiency was seen in 43 (34.6%), B<sub>12</sub> deficiency in 30 (23.1%) and hyperhomocysteinemia in 60 (46.2%) patients. <it>H. pylori</it> was present in 80 (61.5%) patients with FD while it was absent in 50 (38.5%). Mean serum levels of B<sub>12,</sub> folate and homocysteine in the <it>H. pylori-</it>positive group of patients were not significantly different from the levels in the <it>H. pylori-</it>negative group (357 ± 170 vs. 313 ± 136 pg/mL; p = 0.13), (4.35 ± 1.89 vs. 4.42 ± 1.93 ng/mL; p = 0.84); (15.88 ± 8.97 vs. 16.62 ± 7.82 μmol/L; p = 0.24); respectively.</p> <p>B<sub>12</sub> deficiency (≤200 pg/mL) was 23.8% in the <it>H. pylori-</it>positive patients versus 22.0% in the <it>H. pylori-</it>negative patients. Folate deficiency (≤3.5 ng/mL) was 33.8% in the <it>H. pylori-</it>positive group versus 36% in the <it>H. pylori-</it>negative group. Hyperhomocysteinemia (>15 μmol/L) was present in 46.2% of <it>H. pylori-</it>positive patients compared to 44% in the <it>H. pylori-</it>negative group. Correlation analysis indicated that serum B<sub>12</sub> levels were inversely associated with serum levels of homocysteine in patients with FD (rho = −0.192; p = 0.028).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study demonstrated an inverse relationship between serum levels of B<sub>12</sub> and homocysteine in patients with FD. Moreover, no impact of the presence of <it>H. pylori</it> was found on B<sub>12</sub>, folate and homocysteine levels in such patients.</p>
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