title: Helicobacter pylori status in family members as risk factors for infection in children.
abstract: This study aimed to disentangle the independent contributions of Helicobacter pylori infections in mothers, fathers and siblings to the risk for the infection in the 11-13 years age group. Index children from a cross-sectional Stockholm school survey and their family members completed questionnaires and contributed blood samples. H. pylori serostatus was determined with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblot. Fifty-four seropositive and 108 seronegative index children were included and 480 out of 548 family members contributed blood. In multivariate logistic regression modelling, having an infected mother (OR 11.6, 95% CI 2.0-67.9) or at least one infected sibling (OR 8.1, 95% CI 1.8-37.3) were risk factors for index child infection, whilst the influence of infected fathers was non-significant. Birth in high-prevalence countries was an independent risk factor (OR 10.4, 95% CI 3.4-31.3). H. pylori infections in mothers and siblings and birth in high-prevalence countries stand out as strong markers of infection risk amongst children in Sweden.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (MEB), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kivi
authors.forename: A L V
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reilly
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tindberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology