Review: Helicobacter pylori infection in children

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori infection in children and adolescents differs in comparison to adults with respect to epidemiology, host responses, and disease manifestations. Furthermore, treatment options are limited in this population and antibiotic resistance rates continue to increase. Therefore, ongoing research is vital to understand disease pathogenesis and provide optimal management of children with infection. This review summarizes relevant publications from April 2019 to March 2020. Similar to adults, recent studies show a decreasing prevalence of infection in the pediatric population. Studies of pathogenesis investigated serum immune responses and the potential inverse association of infection and allergy. Several studies investigated the effect of H pylori and related inflammation on the gut microbiome. The recommendation of endoscopy‐based testing to identify the cause of symptoms and not just H pylori, reserving noninvasive UBT or stool antigen tests for post‐eradication follow‐up, was supported by the current literature.

Gastric mucosal precancerous lesions in Helicobacter pylori-infected pediatric patients in central China: A single-center, retrospective investigation

“…Although most H. pylori -infected children do not have obvious clinical symptoms, studies have shown that children with gastrointestinal symptoms have a higher rate of H. pylori infection, and the infection rates are affected by socioeconomic status, living habit, sanitary conditions, geographic region, etc. [ 4 , 5 ]. Despite the overall infection rate has slowly declined in China, the infection rate in rural areas is still much higher over that of city residents[ 6 , 7 ].…”

Nanomechanical Hallmarks of Helicobacter pylori Infection in Pediatric Patients

“…It is estimated that up to 70% of the world’s population carries this bacterium, especially in developing countries [ 2 , 9 , 10 ]. H. pylori infection usually occurs in childhood, and when untreated, remains present in the life of the host [ 3 , 6 , 11 ]. The infection is usually associated with asymptomatic gastritis, and in the long-term it may result in more severe clinical outcomes, such as gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer, and gastric cancer [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 12 , 13 ].…”

Investigation of the quantitative detection of serum Helicobacter pylori antibody in clinical laboratories in China

“…A previous study reports huge regional differences among with more than half of the world's population infected 1 . East Asia, particularly Japan, South Korea and China, and western Europe have higher rates of gastric cancer as compared to other regions 2–4 . In China, the annual prevalence and mortality due to gastric cancer are more than twice the global average 5–7 .…”

“… 1 East Asia, particularly Japan, South Korea and China, and western Europe have higher rates of gastric cancer as compared to other regions. 2 , 3 , 4 In China, the annual prevalence and mortality due to gastric cancer are more than twice the global average. 5 , 6 , 7 In China, annually, there are 679,100 new cases and 498,000 gastric cancer‐associated deaths; these account for 23% of all deaths from malignant tumors.…”