Abstract:

Objective   To explore the helicobacter pylori（HP） distributions by  multifunction microscopy in pharyngeal secretion of patients with chronic pharyngitis. Methods   From September 2005 to December 2007, 295 patients with chronic pharyngitis and 30 controls were subjected to throat swab tests by multifunctional microscopy with 20000 magnification. Assessment was conducted by one professional worker. A Chi-square test was used to explore the statistical significance in terms of the outcome in the two groups. Results   In the chronic pharyngitis group, HP was positive in 229 patients（77.63%，229/295）and negative in 66 ones（22.37%，66/295）. In the control group, HP was found in only 2 individuals（6.67%，2/30）and the rest were negative（93.33%，28/30）. The infective rate of HP was statistically significant between the chronic pharyntitis group and the control group (χ2=6.670，P＜0.05). Conclusions   Helicobacter pylori might be a pathogen of chronic pharyngitis that has been neglected by physicians for a long time. Multifunction microscopy may provide a new method to screen HP in patients with chronic pharyngitis.

Key words: Microscopy; Helicobacter pylori; Paryngitis