Zhang Li-Hua, Zhou Yong-Ning, Zhang Zhi-Yi, Zhang Fu-Hua, Li Gao-Zhong, Li Qiang, Wu Zheng-Qi, Ren Bao-Long, Zou Shao-Jing, Wang Juan-Xia
Department of Gastroenterology, First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi. 2009 Oct 20;89(38):2682-5.
To investigate the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection among children aged 3 to 18 years old of Wuwei city, Gansu province.
The study was based upon a personal questionnaire and a determination of Hp antigen using the Hp stool antigen test (HpSA) method. A total of 938 subjects and 96 families were selected in Wuwei city. Eighty children and teenagers with a definite positive Hp stool antigen test were examined by serum Western blotting method.
The prevalence of Hp was 72.3% (678/938) with no age difference. Prevalence of Hp infection was correlated with type of dwelling, occupation of parents, drinking water source, kindergarten attendance, consumption of raw vegetables, a poor oral hygiene and breast feeding etc. According to the multivariate analysis, drinking water source, kindergarten attendance and consumption of raw vegetables were most strongly associated with prevalence of Hp in children and adolescents. The infection rate of parents whose children were infected with Hp was higher than that of those whose children were not infected [82.3% (121/147) vs 47.4% (18/38), chi(2) = 19.736, P < 0.05]. The antibody responses of 57 samples (71.3%) from 80 children were of type I Hp and 23 samples (28.7%) type II.
Hp infective rate is high in Wuwei city. The data support maternal-child and sibling-sibling transmission as the primary transmission routes of Hp. The results of serological analysis confirm that the majority of Wuwei Hp infection is of type I.
