Open AccessSeroprevalence and risk factors associated with Helicobacter pylori infection among children aged less than 18 years old in Duhok Province, Iraq
Author(s) -
Azad Mohammed Taher Al-Brefkani,
Ibrahim A. Naqid,
Nizar Bakir Yahya,
Nawfal R Hussein
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of contemporary medical sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2415-1629
pISSN - 2413-0516
DOI - 10.22317/jcms.v7i3.972
Subject(s) - seroprevalence , medicine , serology , helicobacter pylori , helicobacter pylori infection , population , cross sectional study , antibody , immunology , pediatrics , environmental health , pathology
Objectives: Helicobacter pylori infection is predominantly acquired in early childhood and persists for decades before causing disease. This study aimed to detect the prevalence of H. pylori infection and identify potential factors associated with infection in Duhok province, Iraq. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Duhok Province, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. Over a four-year period from 2016 to 2020, a total of 381 children aged four to 18 years who attended the hospitals and were evaluated for specific IgG antibodies against H. pylori using serological tests were included. A questionnaire was completed at the start of the study. H. pylori serology data were analyzed using the chi-square test. Results: The seroprevalence of H. pylori IgG-specific antibodies among the study participants was 31%. The infection rate significantly increased with increasing age of the participants (p 0.001). Conclusion. The prevalence rate of H. pylori infection among children in Duhok province is quite similar to that reported in previous studies in the Kurdistan region, Iraq, and increases with age. University attendance, history of gastrointestinal pain, countryside population, and overcrowding were risk factors associated with H. pylori infection. Valuable approaches to improve sanitary purposes and educational and socioeconomic status should be emphasized and promoted to reduce the risk of H. pylori infection among children.