Use of a urea breath test versus invasive methods to determine the prevalence ofHelicobacter pylori in zaire

Abstract

The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in Zaire was determined by means of a [14C] urea breath test in 133 asymptomatic subjects, by culture and histological examination of biopsies in 324 consecutive endoscopy patients with chronic epigastric complaints, and by both the breath test and culture/histology in a subset of 92 patients. Sixty healthy Belgian students or hospital laboratory workers were also included for comparison. The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori was significantly higher in asymptomatic Zairian subjects (77.4%) than in the Belgians (30%; p less than 10(-6)). Infection was also acquired much earlier in life in Africans, 66% of the children aged 5 to 9 years already being infected versus none of the Belgian subjects below the age of 20 years. In Zaire, however, the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in patients with gastroduodenal disorders (87.5%) was similar to that in the group of asymptomatic subjects (77.5%) after adjustment for age and other epidemiological parameters (gender, place of residency, education level, smoking and drinking habits) in a multivariate analysis. The high rate of acquisition of Helicobacter pylori infection in Zaire emphasizes the need to consider the baseline prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in a defined population when studying its association with various diseases.

Risk factors associated with Helicobacter pylori infection: A population-based study conducted in the province of Ourense

“…Insofar as the risk factors studied are concerned, there is a direct association between infection and age in both the univariate and multivariate analyses. An increase in prevalence is observed, which peaks in the middle-aged cohort and subsequently falls, a finding that is consistent with reports by other researchers (9)(10)(11)(12)(13). This growing prevalence rate is generally deemed to be a cohort effect and to denote worse socioeconomic conditions and poorer hygiene in the past, which fostered infection (14); some authors such as Veldhuyzen van Zaten et al (15) suggest that there is a continued risk of infection though.…”

Are tonsils a reservoir for Helicobacter pylori infection in children?

“…H. pylori infection is highly contagious in early childhood period. In developing countries this is an important problem and the rate of contamination in the first decade is about 60-70% [4,5]. In Turkey this percentage was given as 43-53% with serological methods [22,23].…”

“…The infection is typically acquired in childhood. Annual acquisition rate over the first decade of life in some developing countries is reported to be as high as 60-70% [4,5]. Although H. pylori is a common infection, to date the precise modes of transmission has not been fully understood yet.…”

Helicobacter pylori Infection in North-Eastern Peninsular Malaysia Evidence for an Unusually Low Prevalence

“…Current data suggest that the overall prevalence of H . pylori infection is higher not only in developing countries but also in lower socioeconomic groups in the developed world (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18). The aim of this study, which was conducted in Northeastern Peninsular Malaysia, was to determine, first, the rate of H .…”