The Asian region of Russia has a notably high incidence of gastric and esophageal cancer, particularly among adults, with even more concerning rates among indigenous Mongoloid populations.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the relationship between gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and gastric mucosa inflammation in schoolchildren of both Mongoloid and European descent in Tuva.

METHODS

A survey involved 1.535 schoolchildren aged 7 to 17 in Tuva to assess gastrointestinal complaints. Subsequently, 246 children with complaints underwent upper endoscopy with biopsies from the gastric body and antrum. A total of 135 Tuvinian Mongoloid and 111 European children were examined. Gastric biopsies were assessed for gastritis activity and Helicobacter pylori infection.

RESULTS

The prevalence of GERD was 10.3% in Tuvinians and 8.4% in Europeans (p=0.2538). No significant link was observed between GERD and gastritis activity in children from both ethnic groups. However, the presence of H. pylori led to an increase in gastric antrum inflammation in both Mongoloid (p=0.0002) and European (p=0.0156) schoolchildren with GERD. Furthermore, among indigenous schoolchildren with GERD who were infected (p=0.3757), as opposed to European children (p=0.027), the differences in gastritis activity between the body and antrum were less pronounced. These findings suggest that H. pylori has a dominant negative impact on gastritis activity, particularly in the context of GERD.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed distinct ethnic trends in GERD development and stomach mucosal inflammation in Tuvinian schoolchildren. Notably, it found no significant disparities in inflammation levels between the gastric antrum and corpus in indigenous schoolchildren with GERD compared to their European counterparts.