title: [Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori antibodies in patients with kidney transplantation].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Our target was to verify if belonging to a selected group of patients, who have undergone a kidney transplantation and before that suffered from high level of uremia sometimes with border line levels , could be a risk factor for acquiring HP antibodies.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated in 23 patients, with an average age of 16.3, attending our Day-Hospital Unit to be followed up after a kidney transplant, the prevalence of anti-HP antibodies, measured in serum by the ELISA method. The prevalence in this group has been compared with that observed in a healthy cohort of 36 people.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Antibodies were present in 31.8% of our patients without any correlation with age, age of transplant, serum urea level, cyclosporinemia, total lgG and IgA antibodies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the end, kidney transplantation doesn't seem to be a risk factor for acquiring HP infection. Detecting HP antibodies can be a method to select patients that must undergo other strumental examinations.
authors.affiliation: Divisione di Nefrologia e Dialisi, Ospedale Pediatrico Giovanni XXIII, Bari.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giordano
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Colella
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: De Palma
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Margiotta
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ierardi
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Caringella