Helicobacter Pylori Seropositivity in Children with Recurrent Abdominal Pain

Authors: Engin GÜNEL, Duygu FINDIK, Fatma ÇAĞLAYAN, Zerrin TOPGAÇ

Abstract: Recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) is a significant problem in pediatric patients, and there has been much recent interest in the role that Helicobacter pylori (Hp) might play in this disorder. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalance of Hp infection in children with RAP, and to determine whether there was an association between Hp and RAP. The study was conducted on 50 children with RAP and 20 asymptomatic children admitted for inguinal surgery as a control group. Serum samples from the 70 children were tested for anti-Hp Ig G and anti-Hp Ig A by ELISA. Of the 50 children with RAP, 32 were seropositive (64%) for Hp Ig G, and 14 were seropositive (28%) for Hp Ig A. In the control group, a of the 20 children without RAP were seropositive (45%) for Hp Ig G, and 4 were seropositive (20%) for Hp Ig A. The high prevalence of Hp seropositivity (64% by Ig G) in this study was in variance with other reported pediatric data from the developing world. The prevalence of Hp infection in patients with RAP was not significantly different from that in asymptomatic children (p=0.14). Thus, no association between Hp infection and RAP was found.

Keywords: Helicobacter pylori, recurrent abdominal pain, children.

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