title: Helicobacter pylori infection and growth delay in older children.
abstract: It is thought that Helicobacter pylori infection may influence growth rate in children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of H pylori infection in healthy Italian children, and to look for differences in height between infected and non-infected subjects. Two hundred and sixteen children, aged 3 to 14 years, were tested for H pylori infection by 13C-urea breath test. Centile values for height were calculated. Composite indices for socioeconomic class and household crowding were also determined. Forty nine of 216 children (22.7%) were H pylori positive. The prevalence of infection increased with age. Eight of 49 H pylori positive children (16.3%) were below the 25th centile for height, compared with 13 of 167 H pylori negative children (7.8%). This difference became significant in children aged 8.5 to 14 years; in this group (n = 127), eight of 31 infected children (25.8%) were below the 25th centile for height, compared with eight of 96 non-infected children (8.3%). A significant correlation was found between socioeconomic conditions, household crowding, and H pylori status. By using stepwise logistic regression, only the centile value for height was significantly related to H pylori status in older children. Thus H pylori infection was associated with growth delay in older children, poor socioeconomic conditions, and household overcrowding. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that H pylori infection is one of the environmental factors capable of affecting growth.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza Hospital, IRCCS, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Perri
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pastore
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leandro
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Clemente
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ghoos
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peeters
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Annese
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quitadamo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Latiano
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rutgeerts
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andriulli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001827:Body Height; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000382:microbiology*; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors