title: Is the association between Helicobacter pylori infection and anemia age dependent?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The relationship between H. pylori infection and anemia in childhood is still unclear. The aim of the study was to examine the association between H. pylori infection and anemia or iron deficiency in school-age children and in infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six- to 9-year-old Israeli Arab children (N = 202) and infants (N = 197) were examined for hemoglobin and ferritin levels. ELISA was used to detect H. pylori antigens in stool specimens collected from the participants. Household characteristics were obtained through personal interviews with the mothers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of anemia was 15.5 versus 5.5% in H. pylori-positive and -negative school-age children, respectively and 34.5 versus 29.8% in H. pylori-positive and -negative infants, respectively. The Mantel-Haenszel age-adjusted prevalence ratio (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were 1.6 (95%CI 1.0, 2.6). In multivariate analysis controlling for socioeconomic variables, H. pylori infection was associated with 2.8 higher prevalence of anemia only in school-age children: adjusted PR 2.8 (95% CI 0.9, 9.3). The adjusted mean difference in hemoglobin levels between H. pylori infected school-age children and uninfected ones was -0.372 gr/dL (95% CI -0.704, -0.039) (p = .04). The respective mean ferritin difference was -6.74 μg/L (95% CI -13.38, -.011) (p = .04). Such differences were not found in infants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  H. pylori infection is associated with higher prevalence of anemia in school-age children independently of socioeconomic variables. Such association was not observed in infants. These findings are of clinical and public health importance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Khitam
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Muhsen
authors.forename: Mira
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barak
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Henig
authors.forename: Gershon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Alpert
authors.forename: Asher
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ornoy
authors.forename: Dani
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000740:Anemia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D018912:Arabs; D002648:Child; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D000090463:Iron Deficiencies; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D006454:Hemoglobins; D005293:Ferritins