Our purpose was to investigate whether Helicobacter pylori (Hp) has a specific mucosal appearance. Eighty-eight (female / male: 53/35) patients included in the study underwent endoscopy to determine the macroscopic appearance of their gastric mucosa. Biopsies taken from the antrum, incisura angularis and corpus of each patient were stained with toluidine blue and examined for Hp under a light microscope. Thirty were Hp negative and 58 Hp positive. Thirty-six percent of the patients had normal mucosa, 21.59% had spotty erythema in the antrum, 31.81% had a mosaic pattern in the antrum and/or corpus and 10.23% had acute duodenal ulcer. Fifty-six percent of those with normal mucosal appearance, 63.16% of those with spotty erythema in the antrum, 75% of those with a mosaic pattern in the antrum and/or corpus and 77.78% of those with acute duodenal ulcers were positive for Hp. No difference was found in positivity between the groups. There is no mucosal appearance specific to Hp, and so diagnosis by conventional methods is indispensable.

Our purpose was to investigate whether Helicobacter pylori (Hp) has a specific mucosal appearance. Eighty-eight (female / male: 53/35) patients included in the study underwent endoscopy to determine the macroscopic appearance of their gastric mucosa. Biopsies taken from the antrum, incisura angularis and corpus of each patient were stained with toluidine blue and examined for Hp under a light microscope. Thirty were Hp negative and 58 Hp positive. Thirty-six percent of the patients had normal mucosa, 21.59% had spotty erythema in the antrum, 31.81% had a mosaic pattern in the antrum and/or corpus and 10.23% had acute duodenal ulcer. Fifty-six percent of those with normal mucosal appearance, 63.16% of those with spotty erythema in the antrum, 75% of those with a mosaic pattern in the antrum and/or corpus and 77.78% of those with acute duodenal ulcers were positive for Hp. No difference was found in positivity between the groups. There is no mucosal appearance specific to Hp, and so diagnosis by conventional methods is indispensable.