Hudaverdi KARA, Melike ARSLAN, Coskun Firat OZKECECI, Edibe Gozde BASARAN, Necati BALAMTEKIN, Bulent UNAY
The Medical Bulletin of Haseki - 2026;64(3):200-204
Aim: Considering that systemic inflammatory indicators may insufficiently represent localized gastric inflammation in juvenile populations, chronic Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is associated with persistent gastric inflammation, which may influence systemic inflammatory parameters in children. This study aimed to investigate whether the C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR) was associated with the severity of histopathological gastritis and H. pylori colonization density in H. pylori-positive children. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study included 121 children aged 1-18 years who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy for dyspeptic symptoms and were diagnosed with H. pylori infection. Gastritis severity, activity, and H. pylori colonization density were graded according to the modified Sydney classification system. The association between the CAR and histopathological parameters was analyzed. Results: The study included 121 pediatric patients (mean age +/- standard deviation: 14.49+/-2.83 years), of whom 66% were female. No statistically significant association was observed between the CAR and chronic gastric inflammation grade, gastric inflammatory activity grade, or H. pylori colonization density grade (p=0.735, p=0.287, and p=0.318, respectively). Although the median CAR was higher in patients with severe H. pylori colonization than in those with mild or moderate colonization, this difference did not reach statistical significance (p=0.744). Conclusion: The findings indicate that the CAR is not associated with histopathological severity or colonization density of H. pylori in children and does not reflect the histopathological severity in pediatric H. pylori gastritis.
