[Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in children evaluated at "Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre", RS, Brazil].
OBJECTIVE
To determine prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in a group of symptomatic patients between 2 and 18 years old who were submitted to gastric biopsy during upper endoscopy done in the period of 1990-97. To correlate the histological findings with clinical and endoscopical data.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study done after review of clinical and histopathological data. Histopathological sections were reviewed by a pathologist, who did not know the clinical information and the previous histopathological reports.


RESULTS
Among 181 patients evaluated, prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection was 24.86% (45 positive cases). In pathological analysis, gastritis was found in 38/45 of the positive Helicobacter pylori patients and in 45/136 negative Helicobacter pylori. Gastric ulceration was found in 6/45 positive Helicobacter pylori and in 3/136 negative Helicobacter pylori.


CONCLUSIONS
This study stated a significative association between Helicobacter pylori infection and pathological abnormalities in children evaluated in the "Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre", RS, Brazil.
Sousa
M B
MB
Bolsistas (PIBIC) Programa Institucional de Bolsas de Iniciação Científica do Conselho Nacional de Ciências e Tecnologia (CNPq)/UFRGS.
Luz
L P
LP
Moreira
D M
DM
Bacha
O M
OM
Chultz
R M
RM
Edelweiss
M I
MI
D000293:Adolescent; D001706:Biopsy; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016145:Endoscopy, Digestive System; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence