Table 2.

Dictionary of variables used in the review

Variable	Coding scheme
Study Team	A, B, C etc
Design	Cohort, Cross-sectional, Case control, Experimental
Healthy	Healthy only, Sick only, Both
Region	Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America
Gender	Male only, Female only, Both
Age	Children only, Adults only, Both
Number of methods used to assess H pylori	One method; two or more methods
Type of ghrelin assay used	Commercial RIA, in-house RIA, Commercial ELISA, Commercial EIA
Sample storage	-70°C and below; above -70°C
Sample type	Serum; Plasma
Weight	Normal, Low, Various, High
Difference in circulating ghrelin concentration between H pylori + & - subjects	Lower, no difference, higher
Changes in circulating ghrelin after cure	Increased, decreased, no change
Duration of follow-up	4 weeks & below; Above 4 weeks
Sample size	Two categorizations were done: 1) 50 & below, 51-200, 201 and above; 2)Above 20, Below 20