title: Changes in prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in two groups of patients undergoing endoscopy and living in the same region in the Netherlands.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There are few data on the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in different populations and no data on changes in time. A cross-sectional study was done in a large population of patients undergoing endoscopy in order to relate the presence of H. pylori to ethnic background and to detect changes in time.
  
  
  METHODS
  All consecutive patients over a 10-year period were included and biopsy specimens from the gastric antrum were taken for detection of H. pylori. A large population of immigrants living in the Zaanstreek region was studied separately.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the 10-year period, 14,909 consecutive diagnostic upper GI endoscopies were done in 11,691 consecutive patients. Only the first endoscopy done in a patient was included. Of 11,691 patients available for evaluation, there were 5669 men and 6022 women (mean age 55 years, range 4-99). Of these, 3201 (27.4%) were H. pylori-positive and 4988 (42.7%) were H. pylori-negative. No biopsy specimens were available for the remaining 3501 (29.9%) patients. In the group under study, 1309 (11%) patients were immigrants. H. pylori was present significantly more often in men and in immigrants, where prevalence was 75% versus 33% (P < 0.0001). The prevalence of H. pylori showed a marked decrease in both populations during the period of study. Extrapolating trend lines into the future indicates a prevalence of H. pylori below 10% by the year 2009. Among immigrants, this will be reached in approximately 2027.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows differences in prevalence of H. pylori in different populations. We found a decreasing prevalence that can be explained by the lower acquisition rate of the infection. It is important to be aware of the differences in prevalence of H. pylori in a population composed of different ethnicities.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Internal Medicine, de Heel Zaans Medisch Centrum, Zaandam, The Netherlands. r.loffeld@chello.nl
authors.forename: R J L F
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Loffeld
authors.forename: A B M M
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: van der Putten
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence