H. pylori has been established as a cause of various gastroduodenal disorders. The role of H. pylori in the development of functional dyspepsia (NUD) and recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) in children is unclear. Gastric motility disturbances are considered to be associated with dyspeptic symptoms. The objectives of the study were to elucidate whether gastric emptying was altered in children with and without H. pylori infection with NUD. A total of 36 consecutive children with NUD (n = 36, female 19, male 17, range 7 - 18 years) were enrolled in the study. All children underwent extensive check-up to exclude organic lesions, ultrasonography, gastroscopy, histologic examination, and standardized scintigraphic examination using a technetium-99m (99mTc) radiolabelled solid meal, and gastric emptying was measured as t1/2 (time taken for half the labelled meal to be emptied from the stomach). The updated Sydney system was used to score the grade of chronic gastritis (0 - 3). H. pylori infection was determined by two biopsy - based methods. Results: 19 (52.7 %) patients (13.74 ± 3.41 years) were identified as having H. pylori, 17 (47.3 %) patients (13.54 ± 3.12 years) were negative for H. pylori. The difference between the mean ages of two groups with and without H. pylori was statistically insignificant as well as for sex. There was no difference in clinical symptoms between the two groups. Nodular gastritis was found in 10/19 (52.6 %) in H. pylori positive patients, and in 1/17 (5.8 %) H. pylori negative (p < 0.0001). The gastritis score was significantly more severe in the H. pylori positive group compared to H. pylori negative (p < 0.001). There was no difference in intragastric distribution of the solid content between H. pylori positive and H. pylori negative children. The mean half-time gastric emptying for H. pylori positive NUD patients was (44.9 ± 16.8 min), H. pylori negative patients (57.6 ± 12.9 min). Gastric emptying of a solid meal was found to be significantly accelerated in patients with NUD H. pylori positive (p < 0.05). No correlation was found between gastric emptying rate and age, and sex of the subjects in both groups. Conclusion: Gastric emptying of a solid meal was significantly accelerated in H. pylori positive children with NUD. Alteration in gastric motility may play a role in the development of clinical symptoms in a sub-group of patients with NUD in childhood. The scintigraphic method is easy to perform and accurate for the evaluation of gastric emptying in the pediatric population.

        Key words: H. pylori, non-ulcerative dyspepsia, gastric emptying, scintigraphy