Research Information System
International Journal of Medicine, vol.5, no.1, pp.32-35, 2003 (Scopus)
Objective- To evaluate the serological prevalence of Helicobacter Pylori infection in asymptomatic and symptomatic children with recurrent abdominal pain. Design- A cohort was used to study the rate of infection by Helicobacter Pylori in children, the prevalence of IgG antibodies to Helicobacter Pylori was determined. Setting- Manisa region, Western Turkey. Materials and Methods- Fifty-five symptomatic (25 boys and 30 girls) and one hundred sixty-four asymptomatic (82 boys and 82 girls) children between 3-15 years of age were tested for anti-Helicobacter pylori IgG. Serum samples collected were tested for IgG antibodies against Helicobacter pylori by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using commercial kits. Mean titers >20 U/ml were considered positive for specific IgG antibody. Result- The prevalence of anti-H. pylori IgG antibody was 65.5% in symptomatic and 35.4% in asymptomatic children. The seroprevalence was increased significantly with age in children and recurrent abdominal pain (chi-square = 18.09; p<0.001). There was a significant difference in the appearance rate of IgG antibodies between asymptomatic and symptomatic children (chi-square = 15.22; p<0.001). Conclusion- This study shows that Helicobacter pylori seropositivity is more common in children with recurrent abdominal pain than in asymptomatic children living in Manisa region, Western Turkey.