Helicobacter pylori (Hp) is a high prevalence of chronic infectious pathogens, though not necessarily lead to symptoms, but it can affect the immune system. More than of the world's population harbors the bacterium, and most adult Hp infection was obtained in childhood. Hp infection is a major cause of peptic ulcer, although children rarely suffer from peptic ulcer disease. Hp infection is closely related to chronic gastritis, dyspepsia, chronic diarrhea and recurrent abdominal pain in children. In recent years, Hp infection may also participate in some of non-digestive diseases, such as children's nutritional iron deficiency anemia, growth retardation, malnutrition, autoimmune idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, chronic urticaria, as well as the development of adult atherosclerosis-related cardiovascular diseases and some nervous system diseases. Hp infection can be a lifetime issues of children. Hp infection of children will bring many socio-economic problems. In this paper, the correlation of Hp infection in stomach and oral cavity, and diagnostic technology, prevention as well as treatment strategies for Hp infection will be discussed.
Helicobacter Infections ; complications ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; genetics ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Mouth ; microbiology ; Stomach ; microbiology

In 1983 when Marshall and Warren first reported the gastric pathogen H. pylori, microbiologists and gastroenterologists would not have predicted that this bacterium would have been shown to be one of the most common bacterial infection in human and the ethiologic agent of the majority of gastrodoudenal disorders. Although there are many documents of the presence of a gastric pathogen in the stomach of human, few have paid attention to it due to difficulty in sampling and bias for asceptic conditions of gastric juice. Now H. pylori is recognized as an etiological pathogen of gastroduodenal disorders including chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, and gastric cancers. H. pylori colonizes, restricted to gastric mucosa resulting in pathogenic events for inflammatory responses. Bacterial components of H. pylori could contribute to its adherence, adaptation, and colonization to/in gastric mucosa of human, of which understaning might provide insihgts for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of H. pylori infection.
Bacterial Infections ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Colon ; Diagnosis ; Gastric Juice ; Gastric Mucosa ; Gastritis ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Humans ; Peptic Ulcer ; Stomach ; Stomach Neoplasms

The concordance between endoscopic and histological gastritis was determined in 52 patients referred for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. The study was conducted in Northeastern Peninsular Malaysia, an area with a low background prevalence of H. pylori infection. Endoscopic and histological gastritis were assessed in accordance with the Sydney System. The results showed poor concordance between endoscopic and histological gastritis even after reclassifying mild endoscopic gastritis as normal. The low prevalence of H. pylori was validated in this study.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; standards ; Female ; Gastritis ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Helicobacter Infections ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Malaysia ; epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged

Dyspepsia refers to group of commonly occurring upper gastrointestinal symptoms. The majority of patients with dyspepsia suffer from functional (nonulcer) dyspepsia. Although there is a lack of epidemiological data from population-based or patient cohort studies in Korea, the current understanding of this condition has been updated using data from various recent research studies, which have facilitated the development of clinical guidelines for functional dyspepsia. According to a survey using the Rome III criteria, more than 40% of respondents who visited primary clinics and tertiary hospitals were defined as having functional dyspepsia, most of who were within a subgroup of patients with postprandial distress syndrome. In addition, a population-based cross-sectional survey revealed considerable overlap between functional dyspepsia and other functional gastrointestinal disorders, including gastroesophageal reflux disease (especially nonerosive reflux disease) and irritable bowel syndrome. In contrast to the results of Western trials, there is insufficient evidence to recommend a Helicobacter pylori test-and-treat strategy as an initial management approach to functional dyspepsia in Korea, suggesting the need for early endoscopic evaluation. Additional studies are necessary to adjust the cutoff age for implementation of immediate endoscopic evaluation of patients without alarm symptoms. Considering the prevalence of H. pylori infection and the limited efficacy of symptomatic relief after its eradication, further well-qualified studies in Korea are warranted.
Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; *Dyspepsia/diagnosis/epidemiology/microbiology/therapy ; Early Diagnosis ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; *Helicobacter Infections/diagnosis/drug therapy/epidemiology/microbiology ; Helicobacter pylori/*pathogenicity ; Humans ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Prevalence ; Prognosis ; Questionnaires ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVES: To study the clinical manifestations and gastroscopic characteristics of upper gastrointestinal ulcer in children. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for the children who underwent gastroscopy and were found to have upper gastrointestinal ulcer for the first time at the Endoscopy Center of Shengjing Hospital, China Medical University, from January 2011 to May 2021. According to the cause of the disease, they were divided into primary ulcer group (primary group; n=148) and secondary ulcer group (secondary group; n=25). The clinical data were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: A total of 173 children with upper gastrointestinal ulcer were enrolled, with a male/female ratio of 3.9:1. Compared with girls, boys had significantly higher proportions of duodenal ulcer and primary ulcer (P<0.05). Compared with the children aged below 6 years, the children aged 6-14 years had higher proportions of duodenal ulcer and primary ulcer and lower proportions of giant ulcer and multiple ulcers. Of the 148 children in the primary group, 95 (64.2%) had Helicobacter pylori infection. Abdominal pain was the most common clinical symptom and was observed in 101 children (68.2%). Duodenal ulcer was common and was observed in 115 children (77.7%), followed by gastric ulcer in 25 children (16.9%) and esophageal ulcer in 7 children (4.7%). Multiple ulcers were observed in 32 children (21.6%). Seventy children (47.3%) experienced complications, among which bleeding was the most common complication and was observed in 63 children (43.6%). Of the 25 children in the secondary group, abdominal pain was the most common clinical symptom and was observed in 9 children (36.0%), with a significantly lower incidence rate than the primary group (P<0.05); foreign body in the digestive tract was the most common cause of ulcer and was observed in 17 children (68%), followed by abdominal Henoch-Schönlein purpura in 5 children (20.0%) and Crohn's disease in 3 children (12.0%). The secondary group had a significantly higher proportion of multiple ulcer or giant ulcer than the primary group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Upper gastrointestinal ulcer is more common in boys than girls, and duodenal ulcer and primary ulcer are more common in boys. Children aged 6-14 years often have duodenal ulcer and primary ulcer, and giant ulcer and multiple ulcers are relatively uncommon. Primary ulcer in children has a variety of clinical manifestations, mainly abdominal pain, and duodenal ulcer is relatively common, with bleeding as the main complication. The clinical symptoms and endoscopic manifestations of secondary ulcer are closely associated with the primary causes, and it is more likely to induce huge ulcers and multiple ulcers.
Abdominal Pain ; Child ; Duodenal Ulcer/epidemiology* ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal/adverse effects* ; Female ; Helicobacter Infections/diagnosis* ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Ulcer

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in Korea was believed to be low until now. Korea is now believed to be on the evolving stage of GERD in its' prevalence. The aims of this study were to evaluate the epidemiologic and clinicopathologic characteristics among the subgroups of GERD i.e. non-erosive GERD (NERD), erosive GERD (ERD) and Barrett's esophagus (BE), and the role of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in the pathogenesis of GERD. METHODS: A total of 253 patients with typical symptoms of GERD who underwent EGD were enrolled from October 2002 to January 2004. Patients were grouped as NERD, ERD or BE based on the symptoms and endoscopic findings. BE was histologically confirmed if necessary. Various clinical parameters including the status of H. pylori infection were analyzed. RESULTS: Among 253 patients, 106 patients were classified as NERD while 116 and 31 patients were classified as ERD and BE group respectively. BE and ERD group showed no gender predilection while NERD showed female preponderance (2.31:1, p<0.05). NERD group were younger (49.57 y.o.) than BE (57.87 y.o.) and ERD (52.30 y.o.) group. About three quarters of the patients of erosive esophagitis were LA-A (74.2%) grade. This suggests the mild nature of erosive esophagitis in Korea. ERD showed significantly higher BMI (kg/m2) compared to NERD (p<0.05). Hiatal hernia was frequently associated with BE and ERD (p<0.05), but less frequently in NERD. Overall H. pylori positivity among GERD was significantly lower than the age and gender matched control group (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Subgroups of GERD in Korea showed different epidemiologic and clinical characteristics. Lower rate of H. pylori infection among GERD group may reflect the protective role of H. pylori infection regarding GERD prevalence in Korea.
Aged ; Barrett Esophagus/diagnosis/drug therapy/microbiology ; Female ; Gastroesophageal Reflux/diagnosis/drug therapy/*microbiology ; Helicobacter Infections/*complications/drug therapy/epidemiology ; *Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Duodenal ulcers occur relatively frequently in adolescents, like in adults, and may relate to Helicobacter pylori infection and duodenal gastric metaplasia (DGM). This study investigated the association between H. pylori infection and DGM in healthy adults aged 20-29. METHODS: Between 1995 and 2005, endoscopic biopsies of the duodenum, antrum and body were taken from healthy, young volunteers, who were first-year medical students, faculty staff, residents, and research assistants of Gyeongsang National University in Jinju, Korea. Urease tests were performed and the extent of DGM and histopathological grades according to the Updated Sydney System were determined. RESULTS: In total, 662 subjects were enrolled (429 males and 233 females). The median age was 22.3 years. The overall incidence of DGM was 11.5% but DGM was more frequent in males (15.4%) than in females (4.3%) (p<0.0001). While H. pylori positivity rates changed significantly during the 1995-2005 period (p<0.01), the incidences of DGM did not. DGM was observed in 7.2% and 14.9% of subjects who were and were not colonized with H. pylori, respectively. DGM was also associated with less severe chronic gastritis and the absence of active gastritis in both the antrum and body, and the absence of follicles in the antrum (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggested that DGM is not rare in healthy young adults and is unrelated to gastric H. pylori infection.
Adult ; Age Factors ; Duodenum/*pathology ; Female ; Gastric Mucosa/*pathology ; Helicobacter Infections/complications/*diagnosis/epidemiology ; *Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Male ; Metaplasia/complications/*diagnosis/epidemiology ; Pyloric Antrum/*pathology ; Severity of Illness Index ; Sex Factors ; Young Adult

INTRODUCTIONThe use of an additional biopsy from the gastric body may help improve the detection of Helicobacter pylori during endoscopy. This study aimed to determine whether such an additional biopsy is necessary in routine rapid urease test (RUT), and whether acid suppression and antibiotic therapy affect RUT results.

METHODSPatients recruited had two gastric mucosal biopsies taken - one from the gastric antrum and the other from the gastric body. Each biopsy was placed into separate RUT kits. Information on previous or current use of proton-pump inhibitors, H2 receptor antagonist, bismuth and antibiotics was obtained. Patients on any of those drugs one week prior to endoscopy were considered to have a positive drug history (PDH).

RESULTSOf the 400 patients recruited, 311 had negative RUTs and 89 had at least one positive RUT. Between the PDH and negative drug history (NDH) groups, there was a significant difference in the distribution of the location of the biopsies that yielded positive RUTs (p = 0.023). The NDH group had a higher proportion of patients who had positive RUTs for both locations, whereas the PDH group had a higher proportion of patients who had positive RUTs for only one location.

CONCLUSIONAs RUT results are significantly affected by the use of acid suppression and antibiotic therapies, biopsies for RUT should be taken from both the gastric antrum and body to minimise false negative results.

Adult ; Aged ; Antacids ; pharmacology ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; pharmacology ; Endoscopy ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Female ; Gastric Mucosa ; microbiology ; pathology ; Gastrointestinal Diseases ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; Helicobacter Infections ; diagnosis ; Helicobacter pylori ; drug effects ; isolation & purification ; History, Ancient ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Singapore ; epidemiology ; Urease ; analysis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection has been reported to be lower in individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in some Western countries. We investigated H. pylori infection in Korean patients with IBD and any possible associations of H. pylori infection with drug therapy for IBD and the phenotype of Crohn's disease (CD). METHODS: We studied 316 unselected patients with IBD, including 169 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients and 147 with CD, and the control group consisted of 316 age- and gender-matched healthy people who received a comprehensive medical examination for a regular checkup purpose. Infection rates of H. pylori as detected by the urea breath test were compared between the IBD patients and the controls. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference in H. pylori infection rate was noticed between the IBD patients (25.3%) and the controls (52.5%; p<0.001), and between UC (32.0%) and CD patients (17.7%; p=0.04). Among the IBD patients, the age group of <60 and individuals with a history of taking metronidazole (13.0%; p=0.038) or ciprofloxacin (6.7%; p=0.001) were found to have a meaningfully lower infection rate, but those who did not take antibiotics still showed H. pylori infection rate significantly lower than the controls (CD 22.0% vs. UC 33.8% vs. Control 52.5%, p<0.001). With an exception of age, phenotypic characteristics showed no significant relations with H. pylori infection rate in CD patients. CONCLUSIONS: Korean patients with IBD, particularly CD, were found to have a significantly lower H. pylori infection rate than the controls. This association was more evident in those <60 years old, which suggested that H. pylori infection might be deemed to lower possible risks of IBD in younger adults.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Colitis, Ulcerative/complications/diagnosis/drug therapy ; Crohn Disease/complications/diagnosis/drug therapy ; Female ; Helicobacter Infections/complications/diagnosis/*epidemiology ; *Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/*complications/diagnosis/drug therapy ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phenotype ; Prevalence

OBJECTIVES: In Fujian Province, China, gastric cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality among all malignant tumors. Nanjing county and Minqing county are located in inland Fujian and have similar general demographics. However, the adjusted mortality rate of gastric cancer in Minqing was found to be much higher than that in Nanjing. We sought to explore factors associated with this increased risk of gastric cancer between the two counties. METHODS: We recruited 231 and 224 residents from Nanjing and Minqing, respectively, and analyzed differences between their dietary habits, Helicobacter pylori infection rates, and concentrations of serum pepsinogen I, pepsinogen II, gastrin-17, and ratio of pepsinogen I:II. RESULTS: Subjects in Minqing had more first-degree relatives who had been diagnosed with upper gastrointestinal tumor, more unhealthy dietary habits, a higher Helicobacter pylori positive rate, and greater proportion of abnormal serum gastrin-17 than those in Nanjing did. CONCLUSIONS: The factors that differed between these two counties might indicate that residents in Minqing have a higher risk for developing gastric cancer than those in Nanjing do.
Adult ; Aged ; China/epidemiology ; Female ; Food Habits ; Gastrins/blood ; Helicobacter Infections/epidemiology/microbiology/pathology ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pepsinogen A/blood ; Pepsinogen C/blood ; Risk Factors ; Stomach Neoplasms/*diagnosis