INTRODUCTION
Gastric polyps are usually asymptomatic mucosal protrusions originating from the gastric mucosa or submucosa and extending into the lumen. Gastric polyps are detected by chance during endoscopic procedures performed for different reasons. Sometimes they can cause gastric bleeding, pyloric stenosis, iron deficiency anemia and abdominal pain1. The frequency of gastric polyps in the general population varies between 0.3% and 6%. 2,3. Hyperplastic polyps (HPs) and fundic gland polyps (FGPs) constitute the majority of polyps which are classified according to their histopathological features, and a small portion is constituted by adenomatous polyps 3. Hyperplastic polyps are associated with Helicobacter Pylori (HP) infection, while FGPs are associated with proton pump inhibitor use 4. While HPs decrease in the western society due to the decrease in the frequency of HP, there is an increase in FGPs. However, HPs are the most common polyps in Asian countries where HP infection is common5. Histopathological evaluation should be performed by biopsy especially for adenomatous polyps, as gastric polyps may be associated with familial polyposis syndromes and can potentially be premalignant or malignant lesions 6. Due to the malignant potential of gastric polyps, their diagnosis and follow-up gain importance.
The aim of this study is to investigate the frequency of polyps detected during gastroscopy procedures in our hospital, demographic characteristics of the cases with polyps, histopathological features, localization, size and number of polyps and their relationship with HP infection.