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RESEARCH PRODUCT

No association between Helicobacter pylori infection and gastrointestinal complaints in a large cohort of symptomatic children.

Piotr AdamczykAgata ChobotAgnieszka KrzywickaAlicja ŻAbkaKatarzyna Bąk-drabikWojciech PieniążekJarosław KwiecieńJolanta PorębskaAndrzej Dubik

subject

MaleAbdominal painmedicine.medical_specialtyHelicobacter pylori infectionAbdominal painAdolescentGastrointestinal DiseasesUrea breath testGastroenterologyGastrointestinal symptomsHelicobacter InfectionsScreening programme03 medical and health sciences0302 clinical medicine030225 pediatricsInternal medicinePrevalenceMedicineHumans030212 general & internal medicineHelicobacterProspective StudiesChildbiologymedicine.diagnostic_testHelicobacter pyloribusiness.industryGeneral MedicineHelicobacter pyloriAnthropometrybiology.organism_classificationScreening programmeChild PreschoolPediatrics Perinatology and Child HealthFemalePolandmedicine.symptombusinessBody mass indexUrea breath test

description

Aim This Polish study estimated the prevalence of the Helicobacter pylori infection in symptomatic children aged 3-18 and investigated its association with gastrointestinal complaints. Methods We prospectively enrolled 1984 children (54% female) with a mean age of 9.5 ± 4.1 years, from Silesia, Poland, for the Good Diagnosis Treatment Life screening programme from 2009 to 2016. They underwent a 13 C-isotope-labelled urea breath test (UBT) to assess their Helicobacter pylori status, making this the biggest Polish study to use this approach. Further analysis included parental-reported gastrointestinal symptoms and standard deviation scores (SDS) of anthropometric measurements. Results The Helicobacter pylori infection was identified in 220 (11%) children (48% female) and was independent of age and sex. The frequency of symptoms did not differ between Helicobacter positive and negative children (all p > 0.05). Children with a positive UBT result had a lower body mass SDS (-0.41 ± 0.98 versus -0.26 ± 1.01, p = 0.04) and height SDS (-0.45 ± 1.34 versus -0.23 ± 1.27, p = 0.02), but similar body mass index SDS. Conclusion We found a low prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in symptomatic children, and positive UBT results were not associated with symptoms that suggested Helicobacter pylori infections. Our findings support the 2017 European and North American guidelines for Helicobacter infections in children.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2019-02-01Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
10.1111/apa.14721https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30656740