Study of the FUT2 gene association with infection and clinical manifestations of Helicobacter pylori infection

The aim of the pilot study of a group of adolescents with H. pylori infection was to study the preliminary data obtained on the rs602662 locus of the FUT2 gene and to establish its role in the realization of clinical manifestations of chronic gastritis, gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer associated with H. pylori.

Methods: The study included 91 patients. The study for the presence of the polymorphic locus rs602662 of the FUT2 gene was carried out by the standard TaqMan PCR method on a Real-Time CFX96 Touch amplifier. The duration of the study was 6 months.

Results: The main group included 25 adolescents aged 16 to 17 years 11 months, the control group included 20 patients. Patients infected with H. pylori more often noticed symptoms of dyspepsia - in 36%, compared with the control group - 9.7%. The presence of a family history in the main group for associated diseases had a significant difference, χ2 = 4.97, p <0.05.

To assess the contribution of the genotype of the rs602662 locus of the FUT2 gene to the risk of clinical manifestations in H. pylori infection, the main group was divided into subgroups. In the distribution of alleles in these groups, statistically significant differences were revealed.

Allele “A” has a protective effect against the onset of clinical symptoms of dyspepsia. The odds ratio (OR) with the carriage of allele “A” (genotypes A / A and G / A versus G / G) to have clinical symptoms with a positive H. pylori status was 0.175 (CI = [0.049-0.625] chi2 = 7.79 p = 0.0053).

Conclusion. As a result of the study, we were unable to identify a significant association of alleles and genotypes of the rs602662 locus of the FUT2 gene with clinical manifestations of H. pylori infection. At the same time, carriers of the A allele have a pronounced association with the absence of clinical symptoms in patients with a positive H. pylori infection status of 0.175 (C.I. = [0.049-0.625] chi2 = 7.79 p = 0.0053).

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