[Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in physicians in Medellín, Colombia].
Infection by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and its associated complications, such as gastric cancer, constitute a true public health problem due to the high morbidity and mortality rates in Colombia and Latin America, where it is highly prevalent.


OBJECTIVE
To characterize the prevalence of H. pylori infection in the medical population ofMedellin, Colombia.


METHODS
A transversal-cut observational epidemiological study was done, 342 physicians were included. The presence of H. pylori infection, diagnosed with carbon 13-labelled urea breath test, and its association with personal aspects, history of gastric disease and clinical manifestations was evaluated.


RESULTS
The general prevalence of H. pylori infection was found to be 77.2% (CI 95%: 72.4% to 81.5%). Discriminating by gender, it represents a prevalence of 78.4% in men and 72.6% in women, without any significant association (chi-square, p = 0.37). Of the total 342 participants, 183 (53.5%) presented at least one suspected episode of gastric disease, and of these, 141 (77%) were positive and 42 (23%) were negative for H. pylori; of the 264 H. pylori positive participants, 141 (53.4%) had history of gastric disease and 123 (46.6%) were asymptomatic.


CONCLUSIONS
Prevalence of H. pylori infection in the medical population in Medellin, Colombia, is 77.2% (CI 95%: 72.4% to 81.5%), in accordance to the epidemiologic profile of the region. Also, 46.6% of individuals infected by H. pylori were asymptomatic and with no history or symptoms suggestive of the presence of the bacteria, which is only possible to determine after appropriate testing of the individuals.
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia. gcampuzano@hematologico.com
Germán
G
Campuzano-Maya
Daniel
D
Hoyos-Castaño
Víctor D
VD
Calvo-Betancur
Oscar A
OA
Suárez-Ramírez
Douglas
D
Lizcano-Cardona
Carlos A
CA
Rojas-Arbeláez
D002244:Carbon; D003105:Colombia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010820:Physicians / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014508:Urea
D002244:Carbon; D014508:Urea