title: Helicobacter pylori serology testing is a useful diagnostic screening tool for symptomatic inner city children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study assessed the Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) serum antibody test as a diagnostic screening tool in symptomatic inner city children.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective study of patients aged one to 18 years who were referred to our paediatric gastroenterology department from 2009 to 2013. We included all patients who had H. pylori serum antibodies and/or faecal antigens who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) for histology, with or without a gastric tissue rapid urease test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 395 patients had EGDs carried out to evaluate epigastric pain, heartburn and nausea or vomiting, and their overall socio-economic Z-score was -2.62. The histology was positive for H. pylori infection in 52 of 395 patients (13%), and epigastric pain was documented in 45 of these 52 patients (87%). Compared to histology, the serum H. pylori antibody test had a sensitivity of 88.4% and a specificity of 93.4%. The tissue rapid urease test and faecal antigen test had sensitivities of 89.3% and 55.6% and specificities of 89.9% and 98.9%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The serum H. pylori antibody test had high sensitivity and specificity, and it was a good diagnostic screening tool in our study. Epigastric pain was strongly associated with a current H. pylori infection in our population.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition, The Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Priya
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Raj
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition, The Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition, The Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Debra H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Pan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000473:pathology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014505:Urban Population; D014510:Urease / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D014510:Urease
keywords: Children; Epigastric pain; Helicobacter pylori infection; Sensitivity; Specificity