Background: A diagnosis of "idiopathic short stature" (ISS) in a child means that the cause of the disease has not been established, although there are certainly some unknown factors that contributed to its occurrence. Ghrelin and leptin are important in controlling food intake; ghrelin is also a growth hormone (GH) stimulator. Both enterohormones are produced in the stomach and their secretion may be affected by a Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection.
Methods: Our study included a group of 61 children (53 prepubertal and 8 peripubertal) with ISS, without any gastrointestinal tract symptoms but in whom the histopathological evaluation of stomach tissue was made during gastroscopy to diagnose H. pylori infection. In each child, fasting ghrelin, leptin and IGF-1 concentrations, and GH levels in two stimulation tests were assessed.
Results: H. pylori infection was confirmed in 24.6% of the children. Ghrelin and IGF-1 concentrations were significantly lower in H. pylori-positive than H. pylori-negative children (this was more noticeable in prepubertal subgroups), however there was not a discrepancy in regards to GH concentrations in stimulation tests, leptin levels or the nutritional state between groups.
Conclusions: Short children, infected by H. pylori seem to have lower ghrelin and IGF-1 concentrations than children without infection, this may be the reason for a worse growth rate in this subgroup.
Keywords: Helicobacter pylori; IGF-1; children; ghrelin; idiopathic short stature; leptin.