[Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in Obese Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery in a Hospital in Argentina].

Bariatric surgery is indicated in patients with morbid grade III obesity or grade II obesity with associated comorbidities. Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that can adapt to gastric acidity, and obtain a micro niche for permanent colonization. The Argentine Consensus on Nutrition in Bariatric Surgery recommended upper gastrointestinal endoscopy with evaluation of H. pylori before bariatric surgery. This research aimed to determine the prevalence of H. pylori and associated factors in patients with grade II and III obesity undergoing bariatric surgery at the Private Community Hospital of the city of Mar del Plata between January 2015 and December 2019. The study was cross-sectional on a cohort of patients undergoing bariatric surgery at the hospital, through a retrospective review of computerized medical records. Patients between 18 and 75 years old, of both sexes, were included. Data were analyzed with STATA 15.1. The study population consisted of 262 patients; 71% were female. The median age was 42.5 years and the median body mass index was 42.4 kg/m2. H. pylori was detected in gastric biopsies in 40% of patients. H. pylori was detected in 40.2% of patients with normal endoscopy. The most frequent endoscopic pattern in patients undergoing bariatric surgery was gastropathy; the prevalent histological finding was chronic gastritis, and was the only variable associated with the presence of H. pylori.