The correlation between systemic immune-inflammatory index and helicobacter pylori infection and its severity

The systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII), derived from routine hemogram parameters, has recently emerged as a novel marker reflecting the balance between host immune status and inflammatory burden and may offer information about the severity of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) associated gastric inflammation. We investigated whether there was a correlation between H. pylori inflammation, its severity, and this index. Methods: This single-center, retrospective study was conducted between January and December 2021. A total of 1137 H. pylori-positive and 401 H. pylori-negative patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were included. Participants were grouped based on gastric tissue activity and chronicity scores, which reflect the histological severity of inflammation and mononuclear infiltration, respectively, as defined by the updated Sydney system. The SII and other inflammatory markers were statistically compared between groups. Correlation analysis was also performed to evaluate the relationship between histological severity and inflammatory parameters. Results: Lymphocyte, neutrophil, platelet, SII, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio were compared between the groups. No significant differences were observed. There was no significant difference in terms of the SII and other parameters in the H. pylori (+) group when the “1(+)” and “2(+) and 3(+)” subgroups were compared. No significant relationship was found between tissue activity and chronicity score values and inflammatory markers. Conclusion: No correlation was found between the presence and severity of H. pylori and the SII. This is the first study to compare inflammatory markers in the blood with activity and chronicity findings in the tissue.