To investigate the incidence of upper gastrointestinal tract diseases among liver transplant recipients with HBV-related end-stage liver disease and to explore the influencing factors.

Sixty-three cases of live transplant recipients who meet the inclusion criteria (liver transplant group) were enrolled to perform the electronic gastroscopy between July 2006 and December 2018 in the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao Universtiy. The age and gender were selected as matching factors, 189 cases of health examinors (health group) and 189 cases of chronic HBV infection patients (HBV infection group) were selected as control groups at the rate of 1∶3 with propensity score matching. The gastrointestinal symptoms and diseases detected by gastroscope of the above 3 groups were compared, and further analysed the risk factors which affected the occurrence of upper gastrointestinal tract diseases in liver transplant recipients with HBV-related end-stage liver disease.

The most common upper gastrointestinal tract abnormalities in liver transplant recipients with HBV-related end-stage liver disease inculded chronic atrophic gastritis (36/63, 57.1%), reflux esophagitis (13/63, 20.6%) and esophageal varices/gastric varices (10/63, 15.9%). The incidence of chronic atrophic gastritis in liver transplant group was higher than other 2 groups (P all<0.017), the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in liver transplant group was lower than other 2 groups (P all<0.017). In liver transplant recipients, the age of recipients with chronic atrophic gastritis [(58±8) years] was older than recipients without chronic atrophic gastritis [(51±7) years] (t=2.232, P<0.05).

Liver transplant recipients with HBV-related end-stage liver disease have high rate of upper gastrointestinal tract diseases, and chronic atrophic gastritis and reflux esophagitis are the commonest diseases among the various upper gastrointestinal tract diseases. More attention should be paid to the screening examination of electronic gastroscopy after liver transplantation.