Background/Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of malnutrition and sarcopenia risk among patients hospitalized in gastroenterology clinics across different geographical regions of Turkey, to identify their risk factors, and to evaluate their associations with clinical outcomes. Methods: A total of 1051 patients admitted to 36 gastroenterology clinics across six geographical regions of Turkey during the week of 14 November 2024 were evaluated in a cross-sectional design. The nutritional status of the patients was assessed using the NRS-2002 questionnaire, while the risk of sarcopenia was evaluated with the SARC-F questionnaire. Demographic data, clinical diagnoses, disease severity scores, and comorbidities were also recorded and analyzed. Results: Of the patients included in the study, 54.7% were female, and the mean age was 61.7 ± 17.2 years. The prevalence of malnutrition risk was 27.8%, while the prevalence of sarcopenia risk was 32.7%. Patients with malnutrition risk had a lower BMI (24.7 ± 5.3 vs. 27.1 ± 5.4, p < 0.001) and were older (67.6 ± 16.0 vs. 56.5 ± 17.1, p < 0.001). The risks of sarcopenia and malnutrition were significantly higher in patients with liver cirrhosis (40.7% malnutrition; 54.5% sarcopenia), gastrointestinal malignancy (50.5%; 44.2%), and diabetes mellitus. Logistic regression analysis identified older age, male sex, and presence of malignancy as independent risk factors for malnutrition, whereas older age, female sex, presence of malnutrition, liver cirrhosis, and heart failure were independent risk factors for sarcopenia. A strong correlation was also found between malnutrition and sarcopenia (r = 0.544, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Approximately one-third of patients hospitalized in gastroenterology clinics across Turkey are at risk of malnutrition and sarcopenia. These conditions are particularly associated with malignancy, cirrhosis, and metabolic comorbidities. Our findings highlight the necessity of systematic nutritional and sarcopenia screening upon hospital admission.

We present a case of POEMS syndrome from Turkiye, a rare, multisystem-ic condition resulting from plasma cell dyscrasia. POEMS is an acronym representing its cardinal features: Peripheral neuropathy; Organomegaly; Endocrinopathy; Monoclonal plasma-cell proliferative disorder; and Skin changes. The syndrome has an estimated prevalence of 0.3 per 100,000 individuals and typically manifests in the fifth or sixth decade of life. Pro-gressive peripheral neuropathy is the syndrome’s most prominent symptom. To ensure an accurate diagnosis, a thorough medical history, physical ex-amination, and comprehensive diagnostic evaluations are essential. These evaluations should include serum immunoelectrophoresis, serum cytokines, and growth factors, a skeletal survey, and a bone marrow biopsy. Early rec-ognition and treatment of POEMS syndrome are crucial to prevent debili-tating progression and to optimize clinical outcomes.

Background/Aims: Helicobacter pylori infection remains an important global health issue, particularly among older adults for whom related complications are more frequent. However, epidemiological data on the elderly populations in Türkiye are limited. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, associated factors, and endoscopic–histopathological correlations of H. pylori infection in a large geriatric cohort. Materials and Methods: This single-center retrospective study included 2000 adults aged ≥65 years who underwent esophagogastro duodenoscopy between January 2023 and December 2024. Active infection was determined by stool antigen testing according to the Updated Sydney System. Demographic, clinical, endoscopic, and histopathological parameters were analyzed, and independent predic tors were identified using multivariate logistic regression. Results: The mean age of the participants was 77.5 ± 7.8 years, and 50.2% were male. The overall prevalence of H. pylori infections was 56.3%. Prior eradication therapy was independently protective (31.3% vs. 66.1%; P < .001). Infection rates did not differ significantly according to sex, smoking, alcohol use, or comorbidities. The highest positivity rates were observed for atrophic gastritis (60.8%), pan gastritis (58.0%), and antral gastritis (56.2%). The prevalence declined modestly in the oldest-old group (≥85 years), whereas atrophic and metaplastic changes increased with age. Conclusion: Helicobacter pylori infection remains highly prevalent among elderly individuals in Türkiye, showing a gradual decline com pared with historical national data but a persistent association with premalignant mucosal changes. Early detection and individualized eradication strategies are essential to optimize geriatric gastrointestinal care. Cite this article as: Özden Y, Bulur O. Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in geriatric adults: a single-center cohort study from Türkiye. Turk J Gastroenterol. Published online January 5, 2026. doi: 10.5152/tjg.2025.25499.

Aim The Mayo Endoscopic Subscore (MES) in ulcerative colitis (UC) is limited by interobserver variability, whereas central reading is resource-intensive. We developed and temporally validated a video-based deep learning system for automated MES assessment. Methods This retrospective diagnostic accuracy study included 1,000 adults with UC who underwent white-light colonoscopy between November 2020 and November 2025. The model was developed in 750 patients using five-fold patient-level cross-validation and evaluated after model freezing in a temporally separated cohort of 250 patients. Two expert gastroenterologists assigned MES 0 to 3 from full-length videos, with third-reader adjudication of discordant cases. An EfficientNet-B0 model with attention-based multiple instance learning generated predictions. The primary outcome was four-class MES classification; dichotomous endpoints were MES 0 versus MES ≥1 and MES ≤1 versus MES ≥2. Results Pre-adjudication interobserver agreement was high (quadratic weighted κ, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.81–0.87). In temporal validation, macro-averaged AUROC was 0.95 (95% CI, 0.93–0.97), overall accuracy was 83.6%, macro-F1 score was 0.84, and quadratic weighted κ was 0.79 (95% CI, 0.68–0.87). AUROCs were 0.97 (95% CI, 0.95–0.98) for MES 0 versus MES ≥1 and 0.96 (95% CI, 0.94–0.97) for MES ≤1 versus MES ≥2. MES 1–2 errors accounted for 58.5% of classification errors. Brier scores were 0.07 and 0.06, respectively, and decision-curve analysis demonstrated a positive net benefit. Conclusions The model demonstrated high discrimination, good agreement with the adjudicated reference standard, good calibration, and interpretable errors. Multicenter external validation and prospective studies are required before implementation.

Background and Aims: Acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding carries substantial risks of recurrent bleeding and mortality and remains a frequent reason for hospitalization. Most existing risk scores are designed to predict a single clinical outcome, limiting their usefulness for comprehensive early assessment. We aimed to develop and internally validate a pre-endoscopic risk score that concurrently predicts thirty-day recurrent bleeding and all-cause mortality in adults presenting with acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 3,000 adults randomly selected from 3,240 eligible patients managed at a tertiary-care center. Independent predictors available at initial presentation were identified using multivariable logistic regression analyses in a derivation cohort and used to construct a practical point-based clinical score. Model performance was then assessed through internal validation in a separate patient cohort. Results: The derived score comprises seven admission variables reflecting bleeding severity and patient vulnerability, including hemodynamic instability, advanced age, higher comorbidity burden, exposure to antithrombotic or anticoagulant therapy, lower hemoglobin, absence of abdominal pain, and lower albumin. In the validation cohort, the model demonstrated good discrimination for short-term mortality and moderate discrimination for recurrent bleeding. Patients classified as high risk experienced substantially higher rates of both outcomes than those categorized as low risk, supporting the clinical relevance of this stratification. Conclusion: This simple pre-endoscopic risk score enables early stratification of adults with acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding according to their simultaneous risks of recurrent bleeding and mortality. External validation is warranted to confirm generalizability and clinical utility.