title: Growth in infancy, infant feeding, childhood living conditions, and Helicobacter pylori infection at age 70.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine childhood correlates of Helicobacter pylori infection in adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Follow up study of men and women whose birth weight, weight at age 1 year, and feeding in infancy were recorded by health visitors. Data on childhood housing conditions were obtained by recall.
  
  
  METHODS
  631 men and 389 women born in Hertfordshire during 1920-30 and still living in the east or northwest districts of the county.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum H pylori IgG antibodies measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Independent of their current social class, subjects were more likely to be H pylori seropositive if they had large numbers of siblings (p < 0.0001), and if they had lived in a crowded house (p = 0.001), or shared a bedroom or bed in childhood (p = 0.02). Low weight at 1 year was associated with increased seropositivity rates in men (p = 0.0002), but not women (p = 0.8). Men and women who were breast fed in infancy were less likely to be seropositive than those who were bottle fed (p = 0.08).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings support the current view that H pylori infection is often acquired in childhood by close person to person contact, and persists into adult life. H pylori infection may be a cause of failure to thrive in infancy, especially in boys. Alternatively, small infants may be more susceptible to infection. Breast feeding may prevent early infection.
authors.affiliation: Southampton General Hospital, Southampton: MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit.
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Fall
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Goggin
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hawtin
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fine
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Duggleby
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006128:Growth; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000209:etiology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000276:immunology; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007239:Infections / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G