Pervalance of Helicobacter pylori stool antigen in children with chronic abdominal pain

Chronic and recurrent abdominal pain affect about 7-20% of children in school age, and it is responsible for 2-4% of children's medical referrals. Helicobacter pylori infection in children can cause gastrointestinal problems in childhood, and the lack of treatment and eradication can lead to serious complications. This study was done to evaluate the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori ELISA stool antigen in children with chronic abdominal pain. In this case control study, 33 children with chronic abdominal pain and 30 normal children were evaluated. The stool was tested by ELISA method to evaluate Helicobacter pylori antigen. 15.2% of chidern in the chronic abdominal pain group were positive for Helicobacter pylori. No positive case was found among control group. This difference between case and control groups was significant (P<0.05). Considering the high prevalence of Helicobacter pylori antigen in children with chronic abdominal pain, it is suggested that children with chronic abdominal pain without a definite cause screened for Helicobacter pylori infection.