Successful Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy improves symptoms of chronic constipation.

BACKGROUNDS AND AIMS: Constipation is one of the most common gastrointestinal functional disorders. Recently, the gut microbiota has been implicated in the development of constipation. Helicobacter pylori infection is considered to be a possible factor influencing the gut microbiota profile. Here, we investigated the effect of H. pylori eradication therapy on symptoms of chronic constipation.

METHODS

We recruited 166 H pylori-positive patients who underwent eradication therapy after endoscopy. We evaluated the severity of symptoms of chronic constipation before eradication therapy and 2 months post-therapy using two questionnaires, the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) and the Izumo scale. In addition, we evaluated association with constipation and H. pylori infection in patients with constipation-related symptoms in not only all patients, but also patients with the constipation-related symptoms in relation to eradication outcome, the severity of constipation-related symptoms, and the severity of endoscopic gastric mucosal atrophy.

RESULTS

Mean GSRS scores were 5.10 ± 2.67 in all patients and 6.15 ± 2.91 in constipation patients which were significantly lower than that before eradication (5.78 ± 3.27, P < 0.01 and 8.19 ± 3.09, P < 0.01, respectively). Constipation-related scores of the GSRS questionnaire in the successful eradication group were significantly improved after eradication from 5.63 ± 3.06 in all patients and 8.00 ± 2.85 in constipation patients to 5.11 ± 2.71 (P = 0.02) and 6.16 ± 2.96 (P < 0.01), while scores in the failed eradication group before and after eradication were similar. Constipation-related scores in patients with mild gastric atrophy (Kimura-Takemoto classification, C-I to O-I) were significantly decreased after eradication, but were not decreased in patients with severe atrophy (O-II and O-III).

CONCLUSIONS

Successful eradication therapy for H. pylori infection may confer additional benefits in H. pylori-positive patients with symptoms of chronic constipation, especially in patients with mild gastric atrophy.