Investigation of Helicobacter pylori Infection and Its Related Factors in the Tianjin Binhai Area, China

Helicobacter pylori is one of the most widely distributed and most common bacteria in the world. There is a discrepancy in the H. pylori infection rate among different regions and countries that may be due to many factors.

The study aimed to determine the current status of H. pylori infection in the Tianjin Binhai area, China, and evaluate the factors related to H. pylori infection.

We recruited a sample of 2235 cases and conducted the 14C or 13C breath tests and questionnaire surveys. The factors affecting H. pylori infection were analyzed using the chi-square test and multiple logistic regression.

The overall H. pylori infection rate was 45.6%, with the highest rate among male and married population and the lowest rate in the 11 - 20-year-old group. Moreover, populations with a high degree of culture or income had lower infection rates (P < 0.05). Populations who were smoking, drinking, eating seafood, or had more salt intake had higher infection rates (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the infection rate was higher in the population who had hypertension (P = 0.001) or dyspeptic symptoms (P < 0.05) in the last year. It was revealed that taking a previous H. pylori examination and education level were negatively correlated with H. pylori infection, and marital status was an important influential factor for H. pylori infection.

The rate of H. pylori infection was lower in the Tianjin Binhai area than in the whole country, which may be related to socioeconomic status and marital status. Furthermore, it is also probably related to gender and hypertension.