Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection and identification of risk factors in rural and urban Beijing, China.

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori is higher in developing countries such as China. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of H. pylori in one rural and one urban region of Beijing, China.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Healthy individuals in rural Pinggu and urban Haidian voluntarily participated in this study. The diagnosis of H. pylori infection was reached using the (13)C-urea breath test. Associations between H. pylori and sex, age, living area (i.e. rural vs urban), education level, smoking, and alcohol consumption were evaluated.

RESULTS

Of the 1232 included subjects, 54.7% of tested individuals residing in Pinggu and 41.3% in Haidian were positive for H. pylori. In urban region, more individuals were negative for H. pylori (429 of 731), whereas in the rural region, more individuals were positive for H. pylori (p < .05). Univariate analysis identified geographic area and lower education and annual income as significant factors associated with H. pylori. Men in rural areas were more likely than women in rural areas to be infected, and both men and women in the rural area were more likely to be positive for H. pylori than men and women in the urban area (all p < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

H. pylori infection is common in both rural and urban regions of Beijing. Residing in a rural area, having a lower family income, and lower education level are significant risk factors associated with infection.