title: The Association between Helicobacter pylori Infection and Body Weight among Children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We performed to reveal the association between the Helicobacter pylori infection and body weight among children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Out retrospective study included patients who underwent the H. pylori immunoglobulin G testing at Konyang University Hospital between March 2011 and June 2014. These patients were classified as seropositive (28 boys, 27 girls; mean age: 9.89±3.28 years) or seronegative (55 boys, 54 girls; mean age: 9.84±3.02 years). Next, we compared various characteristics between the seropositive and negative groups, as well as between obese children (body weight ≥90th percentile) and non-obese children (body weight <90th percentile). Furthermore, we compared the change in body weight after 2 months of treatment with amoxicillin, clarithromycin and omeprazole among the 55 seropositive children (14 treated children and 41 non-treated children).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no differences in the weights and laboratory data for the 55 seropositive children and 109 seronegative children (weight; 40.96±18.11 kg vs. 36.85±13.72 kg, respectively; p=0.14). And, there was no difference in the prevalence of H. pylori infection among the 29 obese and 135 non-obese children (p=0.581). However, after 2 months of eradication, the 14 treated patients exhibited a significant weight gain (+0.91±0.52 kg), compared to the 41 non-treated patients (-0.29±1.16 kg, p=0.025).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings present that obesity was not associated with the H. pylori infection, although H. pylori eradication led to significant increase in body weight.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Konyang University College of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
authors.forename: Jun Sik
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Konyang University College of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyung Og
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Konyang University College of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae Woo
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Konyang University College of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Jeong
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Cheon
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Konyang University College of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
authors.forename: Gyung Min
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Konyang University College of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Min
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Yoon
keywords: Body weight; Child; Disease eradication; Helicobacter; Obesity