[Epidemiological study on status of Helicobacter pylori in children and teenagers in Wuwei city, Gansu province].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection among children aged 3 to 18 years old of Wuwei city, Gansu province.


METHODS
The study was based upon a personal questionnaire and a determination of Hp antigen using the Hp stool antigen test (HpSA) method. A total of 938 subjects and 96 families were selected in Wuwei city. Eighty children and teenagers with a definite positive Hp stool antigen test were examined by serum Western blotting method.


RESULTS
The prevalence of Hp was 72.3% (678/938) with no age difference. Prevalence of Hp infection was correlated with type of dwelling, occupation of parents, drinking water source, kindergarten attendance, consumption of raw vegetables, a poor oral hygiene and breast feeding etc. According to the multivariate analysis, drinking water source, kindergarten attendance and consumption of raw vegetables were most strongly associated with prevalence of Hp in children and adolescents. The infection rate of parents whose children were infected with Hp was higher than that of those whose children were not infected [82.3% (121/147) vs 47.4% (18/38), chi(2) = 19.736, P < 0.05]. The antibody responses of 57 samples (71.3%) from 80 children were of type I Hp and 23 samples (28.7%) type II.


CONCLUSIONS
Hp infective rate is high in Wuwei city. The data support maternal-child and sibling-sibling transmission as the primary transmission routes of Hp. The results of serological analysis confirm that the majority of Wuwei Hp infection is of type I.
Zhang
Li-Hua
LH
Department of Gastroenterology, First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
Zhou
Yong-Ning
YN
Zhang
Zhi-Yi
ZY
Zhang
Fu-Hua
FH
Li
Gao-Zhong
GZ
Li
Qiang
Q
Wu
Zheng-Qi
ZQ
Ren
Bao-Long
BL
Zou
Shao-Jing
SJ
Wang
Juan-Xia
JX
D000293:Adolescent; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000635:transmission; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial