Serum pepsinogen cut-off values in Helicobacter pylori-infected children

Shin-Ichi Fujiwara1, Mutsuko Konno1, Satoshi Watanabe1

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Sapporo Kosei General Hospital, Sapporo, Japan.

Insights

Serum pepsinogen II (sPG II) levels ≥9.0 ng/mL are a strong indicator for detecting Helicobacter pylori infection in children. This finding aids in diagnosing H. pylori-related gastritis in pediatric patients.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Gastroenterology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Biomarker Discovery

Background:

  • Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is a common cause of gastritis in children.
  • Accurate diagnostic methods are crucial for timely H. pylori-related gastritis management.
  • Serum pepsinogen (sPG) levels may serve as a non-invasive biomarker.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To establish standard gender- and age-stratified serum pepsinogen (sPG) values in H. pylori non-infected children.
  • To determine optimal sPG cut-off values for predicting H. pylori-infected gastritis in pediatric populations.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective study involving children with epigastric pain undergoing esophagogastroduodenoscopy.
  • Exclusion of subjects with inflammatory bowel diseases, eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders, or immunoglobulin A vasculitis.
  • H. pylori infection diagnosis confirmed by positive tissue culture or concordant histology and rapid urease test results.

Main Results:

  • In H. pylori non-infected children, males showed higher sPG I and sPG II levels than females.
  • H. pylori-infected children had significantly higher sPG I and sPG II levels and a lower sPG I/II ratio compared to non-infected children.
  • An sPG II cut-off value of ≥9.0 ng/mL demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy (92.4% sensitivity, 93.9% specificity) for H. pylori infection.

Conclusions:

  • The sPG II level of ≥9.0 ng/mL is a reliable predictor for H. pylori-infected gastritis in children.
  • sPG II shows excellent potential as a non-invasive biomarker for diagnosing H. pylori infection in pediatric patients.
  • These findings support the use of sPG II in screening and diagnosing H. pylori-related gastritis in children.
Abstract

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