The Association of Childhood Asthma and Helicobacter pylori Infection in Sardinia

Abstract

Background: It has been suggested that Helicobacter pylori infection might reduce the risk of atopic conditions, such as asthma, in childhood. This risk reduction could relate to the "hygiene hypothesis" which proposes an association between childhood exposure to microbes and risk of atopy. Objectives: To examine the association between Hp infection and childhood acquired asthma in Sardinia. Patients and Methods:Children from Northern Sardinia who were between the ages of 10 months to 6 years and were screened for Hp infection in 1994-1995 using IgG serology, were asked in 2012, whether they had developed asthma and/or allergic disease in pediatric age, using the global initiative on asthma guidelines questionnaire. Results: A total of 64 children participated in the study. The sero-positivity for Hp infection was 14.1%. Eleven (17.2%) children had a confirmed diagnosis of asthma with onset before the age of 5 years, 85.9% were Hp negative and 14.1% Hp positive. Eight children of the 53 without asthma were Hp positive (15%) compare to one children positive for the infection of the 11 patients (0.09%) with asthma (8/53 vs. 1/11; P = 0.6). The majority of children (73%) were from urban areas and 43.8% had a family history of asthma or allergies. Multiple logistic regression analysis was not able to find a studied variable, including Hp infection, significantly associated with pediatric asthma. Conclusions: Our results speak against Hp infection itself playing a role to protect from the risk to develop childhood asthma although household hygiene was not directly assessed.

Helicobacter pylori Infection does not Protect Against Allergic Diseases: Evidence from a Pediatric Cohort in Northern Sardinia, Italy

“…The results obtained in this study do not either confirm an inverse or a positive relation between atopic disorders, including asthma and H. pylori infection in children. These findings are consistent with our previous study conducted in the same geographic area [30]. In children aged 10 months to six years, screened for H. pylori infection using IgG serology and followed up for the occurrence of asthma and or allergic disease for seven years.…”

“…17.2% developed asthma, according to the Global Initiative on Asthma (GINA) [31], before the age of five years. Among them, 85.9% were H. pylori negative and 14.1% Hp positive [30]. By multiple logistic regression analysis H. pylori infection did not result significantly associated with childhood asthma.…”

“…However, a subgroup analysis indicated a similar prevalence in the asthmatic group and the control group of CagA-positive H. pylori infection [53]. However, other studies have reported neutral results or even a positive association between infection and asthma [30,54]. These contrasting results may be attributed to the different H. pylori detection methods used in the studies.…”

Estimation of the Parasitic Infection Prevalence in Children With Helicobacter pylori Infection in Ilam City (2012-2013)

“…Another interesting example is co-infections of H. pylori and Salmonella typhimurium in mice (18). In another study, Maria PD et al did not find an association between H. pylori and pediatric asthma (19). Johan A et al found a significantly higher frequency of Giardia spp.…”

Helicobacter pylori Infection Does Not Protect Against Allergic Diseases: Evidence From a Pediatric Cohort From Northern Sardinia, Italy

“…Among children aged 10 months–6 years screened for H. pylori infection using IgG serology and followed up for the occurrence of asthma and or allergic disease for 7 years, 17.2% developed asthma. Among them, 85.9% were H. pylori negative, and 14.1% H. pylori positive [32]. By multivariable regression analysis, H. pylori infection did not result significantly associated with childhood asthma.…”