Absence of nocturnal acid breakthrough in Helicobacter pylori-positive subjects treated with twice-daily omeprazole

Pepsin in saliva for the diagnosis of erosive esophagitis post-sleeve gastrectomy: a prospective observational study

BACKGROUND

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) has become the preferred bariatric procedure in many countries. However, new onset erosive esophagitis (EE) is a major shortcoming. Current recommendation is esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy (EGD) should be performed routinely at 1 year and subsequently every 2-3 years to enable the early detection of Barrett's or esophageal adenocarcinoma. This would put significant strains on resources and costs of bariatric program. Our study assesses the association between and diagnostic value of salivary pepsin concentration and endoscopically proven EE in post-LSG patients as a surrogate for EGD.

METHODS

Twenty patients on routine post-LSG endoscopy between June and September 2022 were recruited for this correlational pilot study. Under supervision, fasting and post-prandial saliva sample was collected and analyzed by Peptest lateral flow device. EGD examinations were performed, and patients completed a validated 25-item QoLRAD questionnaire.

RESULTS

We found a significant correlation between positive endoscopy findings of EE and salivary pepsin concentrations. The normal group had a lower mean fasting pepsin level (13.13 ng/mL ± 18.97) versus the EE-group (90.55 ng/mL ± 81.28, p = 0.009) and lower mean post-prandial pepsin level (30.50 ng/mL ± 57.72) versus the EE-group (135.09 ng/mL ± 130.17, p = 0.02). The predictive probabilities from the binary regression of fasting and post-prandial pepsin concentrations yield AUC of 0.955 ± 0.044 (95% CI 0.868 to 1.000, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Our study distinctively identified salivary pepsin to have excellent sensitivity and negative predictive value in EE, potentially useful to preclude the need for post-LSG EGD in asymptomatic patients with low salivary pepsin.

High incidence of fermentation in the digestive tract in patients with reflux oesophagitis

OBJECTIVES

Because bacteria represent the sole source of gut hydrogen (H2) and methane (CH4), fasting breath H2 and CH4 gases have been used as markers of colonic fermentation. The presence of carbohydrates in the colonic lumen inhibits gastric and pancreatic secretions, and also influences lower oesophageal sphincter function in gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Studies were performed in 793 consecutive patients undergoing oesophagogastroscopy (270 men and 523 women, aged 19-85 years). A fasting breath sample (20 ml) was collected before endoscopy. At endoscopy, we intubated the stomach without inflation by air, and 20 ml of intragastric gas was collected through the biopsy channel. Next, the tip of the endoscope was inserted into the second portion of the duodenum without inflation by air, and 20 ml of intraduodenal gas was collected. H2 and CH4 concentrations of each sample were measured by gas chromatography.

RESULTS

Reflux oesophagitis was found in 147 of the 793 patients. The mean values of the H2 and/or CH4 levels of samples taken from the stomach, duodenum and exhaled air were higher in patients with reflux oesophagitis than those without reflux oesophagitis. High H2 and/or CH4 levels were more frequently found in patients with reflux oesophagitis.

CONCLUSIONS

We concluded that the presence of fermentation in the digestive tract was considered to be a risk factor for developing reflux oesophagitis.

Nocturnal acid breakthrough: pH, drugs and bugs

Nocturnal acid breakthrough (NAB) was defined by Peghini et al. in 1998 as the presence of at least 60 continuous minutes of intragastric pH < 4 during the overnight period (22:00-06:00 h) in patients taking a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) twice-daily before meals. NAB was shown to occur in more than 70% of patients on PPI therapy but can be decreased or eliminated by adding a histamine-2 receptor antagonist (H2RA) at bedtime. Helicobacter pylori status influences intragastric acid control on PPI therapy: H. pylori-positive patients having better gastric acid control compared with their H. pylori-negative counterparts. Recent data indicate that NAB might not occur in H. pylori-positive subjects on twice-daily PPI, suggesting there is no need for combined PPI twice-daily and H2RA therapy to control night-time gastric acid secretion in these individuals. The clinical importance of NAB has been debated ever since this concept was introduced. The importance of NAB in healthy subjects and asymptomatic, uncomplicated gastro-oesophageal reflux disease patients on PPI therapy may be low, but ignoring it in patients with poor oesophageal motility and Barrett's oesophagus may result in suboptimal treatment. Further studies are warranted to investigate whether leaving H. pylori to 'assist'acid suppression obtained by PPI twice-daily, adding bedtime H2RAs after successful H. pylori eradication or other approaches to eliminate NAB results in better clinical outcomes.