Abstract
Background: Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis is regarded as the most prevalent
gastrointestinal infection, as well as the major cause of several other diseases. Despite being
discovered over 30 years ago, no golden diagnostic method has yet been suggested for this
microorganism.
Objective: The present study aimed to compare two common diagnostic methods of histology
and serology.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study began in July, 2016, and was conducted at
Imam Jafar Sadegh Hospital (a university hospital) in Maybod, Yazd, Iran, on 70 patients. All the
patients underwent endoscopy, and biopsy samples were taken for histology, as well as blood
samples for ELISA test. Finally, sensitivity, specificity, NPV (negative predictive values), and PPV
(positive predictive values) were calculated and analyzed.
Results: The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV, and NPV of the ELISA method with histology
as the gold standard were 87.5%, 36.9%, 54.2%, 42%, and 85%, respectively. Still, the histology
method appears to be the most reliable test for the diagnosis of H. pylori in Iran.
Conclusion: Regarding the high prevalence of H. pylori in Iran, the present study recommends
the use of histology as a diagnostic method in combination with other diagnostic methods for
detecting H. pylori infection.