The objectives of the present study were to determine Helicobacter
pylori via culture, polymerase chain reaction and histopathological
diagnosis in 101 children ranging in age from 4 to 18 years, to identify the
association among restriction fragment length polymorphism types and clinical
disease and to investigate the relationships among different isolates of
H. pylori in different age groups. We observed a high
prevalence of H. pylori infections in children between the ages
of 13 and 18 (75.8%), while children aged 4 to 6 years had the lowest prevalence
of infection (40%). H. pylori was detected in 30.7% (31 of
101), 66.3% (67 of 101) and 63.2% (60 of 95) of children as determined by
culture methods, PCR and histological examination, respectively. H.
pylori isolates with RFLP types I and III were the most common
among children with antral nodularity, whereas RFLP types II and IV were the
least detected types. Interestingly, all isolates from peptic ulcer patients
were type III. Although our results show a high prevalence of H.
pylori infections in the pediatric population in eastern Turkey, no
association was identified between H. pylori infection with
antral nodularity and recurring abdominal pain. In addition, we found low
genetic variation among H. pylori isolates from children and no
association between RFLP types and antral nodularity (p > 0.05).
Additionally, we found that H. pylori isolates with specific
RFLP types were predominant in different age groups.