Prevalence of Helicobacter Pylori Infection in Asymptomatic Children in Birjand, Eastern Iran

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is the cause of serious diseases including gastric cancer and gastric mucosa–associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. About 50% of world population is infected by this microorganism and it based on epidemiologic studies, is mainly acquired during childhood. There is not enough evidence about prevalence of this infection in children and its risk factors so encourage us to study on it.Methods and Materials: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 282 primary school students in Birjand, Iran. Samples were randomly selected. The stool assay was performed using the Helicobacter pylori Stool Antigen by Enzyme- immunoassay (EIA) test kit (ACON company). Data were analyzed at through SPSS version 21. 91 boys and 191 girls, aged 9 to 12 years were evaluated. The prevalence of H. pylori colonization in 282 students was 13.1%. We found statistically significant relationship between H. pylori colonization and gender, duration of breast feeding, and family crowding (P<0.05); but there was not significant relationship with age, family history of dyspepsia, number of days in week consuming yogurt and economically stratified living region in present study (P<0.05). Helicobacter Pylori is a big concern even in young asymptomatic children and it needs to be further studied about its potential risk factors and how to manage them for the goal of prevention.