The relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric emptying in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Forty-four patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) were included in this study. Radionuclide-labelled solid meals were used to calculate gastric emptying times (GETs). The carbon-14 urea breath test (14C-UBT) was used to diagnose Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection. The patients were separated into groups according to the following two criteria: (1) HP infection was diagnosed on the basis of a 14C-UBT value of > or = 1.5; (2) the GET was defined as abnormal when it was > or = 117.1 min. The results showed that 61% (27/44) of the NIDDM patients had an HP infection, and 59% (26/44) had an abnormal GET. The incidence of abnormal GET in positive 14C-UBT patients (62%) was higher than that in negative 14C-UBT patients (56%). Similarly, the incidence of positive 14C-UBT in abnormal GET cases (62%) was higher than that in normal GET cases (56%). However, according to chi-square tests the differences were not significant. In conclusion, no significant relationship between HP infection and GET was found in patients with NIDDM.