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Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, September 2002, p. 1044-1048, Vol. 9, No. 5
1071-412X/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/CDLI.9.5.1044-1048.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Immunoglobulin G Antibody against Helicobacter pylori: Clinical Implications of Levels Found in Serum

Tseng-Shing Chen,1* Fen-Yau Li,2 Full-Young Chang,1 and Shou-Dong Lee1

Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, and Department of Pathology,Taipei Veterans General Hospital,2 National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China1

Received 4 February 2002/ Returned for modification 22 April 2002/ Accepted 17 May 2002

The clinical significance of high levels of antibody against Helicobacter pylori is still unclear. We sought to evaluate whether the serum antibody levels could predict the presence of macroscopic gastroduodenal disease, to identify factors that correlate with antibody levels in a multivariate context, and to determine the predictive value of antibody levels for diagnosing H. pylori infection. The grades of gastritis and density of H. pylori colonization were scored separately using the updated Sydney system for antral and body mucosa. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the quantitative detection in serum of IgG antibodies to H. pylori was performed. Of the 170 dyspeptic patients, 105 (62%) had H. pylori infection. There was no difference in antibody levels among endoscopic findings of normal mucosa, chronic gastritis, and duodenal ulcer. On multivariate linear regression analysis, the status of H. pylori infection, mononuclear cell infiltration of body mucosa, and age correlated with antibody levels. The negative predictive value for antibody levels of <30 U/ml is 94%, and the positive predictive value of antibody levels of >70 U/ml is 98%. We conclude that serum antibody levels do not predict the severity of gastroduodenal diseases or the density of H. pylori colonization in H. pylori-infected dyspeptic patients. Higher levels are associated with the presence of H. pylori infection, the chronic gastritis score of the corpus, and older age. Setting a gray zone is necessary for ELISA, since the accuracy in this zone does not allow a precise determination of H. pylori status.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, 201 Shih-Pai Rd., Section 2, Taipei, Taiwan 11217. Phone: 886-2-28712121, ext. 3346. Fax: 886-2-28739318. E-mail: tschen{at}vghtpe.gov.tw.

Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, September 2002, p. 1044-1048, Vol. 9, No. 5
1071-412X/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/CDLI.9.5.1044-1048.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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