title: A longitudinal cohort study on the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori antibodies in Swedish children and adolescents.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Malmö University Hospital, Lund University, Sweden. asa.granquist@beta.telenordia.se
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Granquist
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bredberg
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sveger
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Axelsson
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial