Relationship of Helicobacter pylori CagA(+) status to gastric juice vitamin C levels

Background To date it is not known whether gastric juice vitamin C levels are influenced by Helicobacter pylori CagA(+) strains. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to study the impact of H. pylori CagA status on gastric juice vitamin C levels. Materials and methods We studied 30 H. pylori(+) patients, and the results were compared with 10 endoscopically and histologically normal H. pylori(−) subjects (control group) who were similar to the H. pylori(+) group in terms of age and sex. In all patients, gastric juice vitamin C levels were determined and the severity of gastritis was graded on a scale of 0 (absent) to 3 (severe). CagA was determined by immunoblotting the sera from patients against H. pylori antigens. Results Among 30 H. pylori(+) patients, 20 were CagA(+) and 10 CagA(−). In the entire group of H. pylori(+) patients, the median gastric juice vitamin C levels (mg L−1) were 16.35 (range 3.5–33.6) and were significantly lower (P