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Subject Area

General Surgery

Article Type

Original Study

Abstract

Objective

The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection among apparently healthy Egyptian school children. Background

H. pylori infection has a widespread distribution, but the prevalence varies between developed and developing countries. Patients and Methods

A series of 400 apparently healthy children attending basic schools were included in our study. Serum samples were withdrawn and assayed for the presence of anti-H. pylori antibody (immunoglobulin G) measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test, and studied for the effect of age, sex, and socioeconomic background. The children’s ages ranged from 6 to 13 years. All infected patients were treated successfully. Results

The overall H. pylori seroprevalence in the study was 44% (176/400), and the frequency of seropositive cases increased highly significantly with advance in age. In a trial to study the risk factors for acquisition of H. pylori infection in our cases, we found a highly significant difference between seropositive and seronegative cases regarding socioeconomic status, family income, educational status of the parents, and occupational status of the parents (P = 0.001). On the other hand, we found no significant differences between seropositive and seronegative cases regarding sex and water supply (P = 0.304). Conclusion

H. pylori is acquired in early childhood and the prevalence increases with age. The prevalence of H. pylori infection in Qulubia, Egypt, was substantially higher compared with developed countries and more or less within the range detected in developing countries, especially in African countries.

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