Initiation of a Helicobacter pylori Screening Program: Enhancing Healthcare at Juntendo University

We started Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) screening program of students at Juntendo university in 2020. We report the current status of H. pylori screening program and the outcomes of H. pylori screening program.

The students of the School of the Faculty of Health Sciences of Juntendo University enrolling in the spring of 2020-2022 were recruited for this study. The anti-H. pylori antibody test was used for detecting H. pylori infection. An individual with a serum anti-H. pylori antibody titer of less than 3 U/ml was considered to be negative for H. pylori infection. If the antibody titer was 3 U/ml or higher, the subject was considered to be possibly infected and recommended to visit a hospital for further testing. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy and 13C urea breath test were performed for diagnosing H. pylori infection at the hospital. Eradication therapy was performed, and the eradication assessment were performed at least 8 weeks after the end of eradication therapy.

Seven hundred twenty-eight students were screened for H. pylori from 2020 to 2022. Fifty-seven students were recommended to visit a hospital based on the anti-H. pylori antibody serum test. Forty-seven students visited Juntendo university hospital. Eleven of the 47 students were positive for H. pylori and all of them students received eradication therapy. H. pylori eradication was successful in nine of the 11 students.

The H. pylori screening program for university students at Juntendo university has been successfully initiated with nine successful eradications since its inception in 2020.