A longitudinal cohort study on the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori antibodies in Swedish children and adolescents.
The aim of this study was to monitor the Helicobacter pylori antibody seroprevalence of an asymptomatic cohort between the ages of 4 and 18 y. The H. pylori antibody titres in a longitudinally followed cohort of 168 native Swedish children (born between 1972 and 1974) were established at 4, 8, 12, 16, and 18 y of age. Seventeen children (10.1%) were found positive on at least one occasion when a paediatric cut-off was applied. Five children (3.0%) reached levels considered positive in adults. The seroprevalence at 4 y of age was 4.0%, at 8 y 2.5%, at 12 y 4.9%, at 16 y 5.3%, and at 18 y 6.3%. The difference in serological titres between the age groups was not significant. A change from negative to positive after the age of 4 took place in 5 of the cases. Spontaneous seroreversion appeared in 5 cases.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings showed no significant differences among the various age groups. Seventeen of the 168 children (10.1%) had been infected at some time, the prevalence ranging from 2.5% to 6.3%. Seroconversion and seroreversion occurred infrequently between the ages of 4 and 18 y.
Granquist
A
A
Department of Paediatrics, Malmö University Hospital, Lund University, Sweden. asa.granquist@beta.telenordia.se
Bredberg
A
A
Sveger
T
T
Axelsson
I
I
D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011336:Probability; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial