The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in Japanese children with gastritis or peptic ulcer disease

Background Although Helicobacter pylori infection is typically acquired in childhood, the role of H. pylori infection in gastroduodenal diseases in childhood remains to be defined. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of H. pylori infection in children with gastritis, duodenal ulcer, and gastric ulcer.Methods This was a retrospective analysis of 283 Japanese children (mean age, 11.5 years) with non-nodular gastritis (n = 73), nodular gastritis (n = 67), duodenal ulcer (n = 100), and gastric ulcer (n = 43). H. pylori status was based on biopsy tests. Clinical symptoms at the time of endoscopy were analyzed with regard to a possible association with the infection.Results The prevalence of H. pylori in non-nodular gastritis, nodular gastritis, duodenal ulcer, and gastric ulcer was 28.8%, 98.5%, 83.0%, and 44.2%, respectively. H. pylori was significantly linked to duodenal ulcer and gastric ulcers in the age group of 10–16 years, but not in the age group of 9 years and under. In children with H. pylori infection, nodular gastritis was observed in 26.3% of gastric ulcer patients and in 74.7% of duodenal ulcer patients (P < 0.001). H. pylori infection was significantly associated with the prevalence of anemia (P < 0.05).Conclusions H. pylori is the most important causal factor for the development of duodenal ulcer in childhood. While H. pylori infection appears to be a risk factor in gastric ulcer, other causes are responsible for most cases. Nodular gastritis is the most common type of H. pylori gastritis in childhood. Chronic infection with H. pylori is associated with anemia.