title: Iron status and Helicobacter pylori infection in symptomatic children: an international multi-centered study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) are global major public health problems, particularly in developing countries. Whilst an association between H. pylori infection and ID/IDA has been proposed in the literature, currently there is no consensus. We studied the effects of H. pylori infection on ID/IDA in a cohort of children undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy for upper abdominal pain in two developing and one developed country.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total 311 children (mean age 10.7±3.2 years) from Latin America--Belo Horizonte/Brazil (n = 125), Santiago/Chile (n = 105)--and London/UK (n = 81), were studied. Gastric and duodenal biopsies were obtained for evaluation of histology and H. pylori status and blood samples for parameters of ID/IDA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of H. pylori infection was 27.7% being significantly higher (p<0.001) in Latin America (35%) than in UK (7%). Multiple linear regression models revealed H. pylori infection as a significant predictor of low ferritin and haemoglobin concentrations in children from Latin-America. A negative correlation was observed between MCV (r = -0.26; p = 0.01) and MCH (r = -0.27; p = 0.01) values and the degree of antral chronic inflammation, and between MCH and the degree of corpus chronic (r = -0.29, p = 0.008) and active (r = -0.27, p = 0.002) inflammation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrates that H. pylori infection in children influences the serum ferritin and haemoglobin concentrations, markers of early depletion of iron stores and anaemia respectively.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Research in Bacteriology, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. dqueiroz@medicina.ufmg.br
authors.forename: Dulciene Maria Magalhaes
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Queiroz
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: Ian R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Sanderson
authors.forename: Henry J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Windle
authors.forename: Marjorie M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Andreia Maria Camargos
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Gifone Aguiar
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Simone Diniz
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: Paulo Fernando Souto
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Bittencourt
authors.forename: Lucia Porto Fonseca
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: de Castro
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Villagrán
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Serrano
authors.forename: Dermot
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kelleher
authors.forename: Jean E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Crabtree
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D000293:Adolescent; D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D001706:Biopsy; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D004384:Duodenoscopy; D004386:Duodenum / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D005773:Gastroscopy; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood*; D008131:London / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D013270:Stomach / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron