High Urinary Sodium Excretion Is Associated with Synchronous Gastric Epithelial Neoplasms in Women

Background: Although previous studies have suggested a high salt intake as a risk factor for precancerous and cancerous lesions of stomach, the evidence is not sufficient to draw a conclusion yet. We aimed to evaluate the association between ‘estimated 24-hour urinary sodium excretion’ and prevalence of synchronous gastric epithelial neoplasm. Methods: Among 2017 patients with gastric epithelial neoplasms, who had test results for estimated 24-hour urinary sodium excretion, 1310 were enrolled. Results: There were 545 (41.6%) patients with high-grade dysplasia and early gastric cancer. The mean age was 64.5 years; 853 (65.1%) were men and 244 (18.6%) were smokers. The rate of Helicobacter pylori infection was 71.0% (797/1123). The incidence of synchronous gastric epithelial neoplasm was 10.6% (139/1310). Significant interactions were seen between estimated 24-hour urine sodium’ and sex ( P -interaction =0.003), with the association largely limited to women; ‘estimated 24-hour urine sodium’ (aOR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.05 to 1.51, P = 0.012) was an independent risk factor for synchronous gastric neoplasm in women. Conclusions: High ‘estimated 24-hour urinary sodium excretion’ was associated with synchronous gastric epithelial neoplasm in women.