A longitudinal cohort study on the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori antibodies in Swedish children and adolescents

• Published in: Acta Paediatrica Vol. 91; no. 6; pp. 636 - 640
• Main Authors: Granquist, Å, Bredberg, A, Sveger, T, Axelsson, I
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.06.2002; Blackwell
• Subjects: Adolescent; Age Distribution; Analysis. Health state; Antibodies, Bacterial - analysis; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child, Preschool; Cohort Studies; Epidemiology; Female; General aspects; Helicobacter Infections - epidemiology; Helicobacter Infections - immunology; Helicobacter pylori - immunology; Helicobacter pylori IgG-antibodies; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medical sciences; paediatric; Prevalence; Probability; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; seroepidemiologic studies; Sex Distribution; Sweden - epidemiology; Sweden; Europe; Human; Seropositivity; Prevalence; Spirillales; Antibody; Spirillaceae; Serology; Conversion; Epidemiology; Infection; Helicobacter pylori; Cohort study; Bacteriosis; Bacteria; Child; Age; Public health; Gastric disease; Threshold
• ISSN: 0803-5253; 1651-2227
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2002.tb03293.x

The aim of this study was to monitor the Helicobacter pylori antibody seroprevalence of an asymptomatic cohort between the ages of 4 and 18 y. The H. pylori antibody titres in a longitudinally followed cohort of 168 native Swedish children (born between 1972 and 1974) were established at 4, 8, 12, 16, and 18 y of age. Seventeen children (10.1%) were found positive on at least one occasion when a paediatric cut‐off was applied. Five children (3.0%) reached levels considered positive in adults. The seroprevalence at 4 y of age was 4.0%, at 8 y 2.5%, at 12 y 4.9%, at 16 y 5.3%, and at 18 y 6.3%. The difference in serological titres between the age groups was not significant. A change from negative to positive after the age of 4 took place in 5 of the cases. Spontaneous seroreversion appeared in 5 cases. Conclusion: Our findings showed no significant differences among the various age groups. Seventeen of the 168 children (10.1%) had been infected at some time, the prevalence ranging from 2.5% to 6.3%. Seroconversion and seroreversion occurred infrequently between the ages of 4 and 18 y.