Symptomatology of Helicobacter pylori infection in children

In a retrospective evaluation we reviewed the symptomatology of 143 children (age 2-15 years, mean 8.9 years) who were referred to us for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy because of recurrent abdominal pain with a duration of 6 weeks or longer. Helicobacter pylori infection was diagnosed in 36 out of 143 patients (25.2%). No statistically significant differences could be detected between the symptoms experienced by the 36 H. pylori-infected children and those experienced by the remaining 107 H. pylori-negative pediatric patients (p = 0.18-0.60). We conclude that no specific symptoms are associated with H. pylori gastritis in children. Our observations suggest that the recurrent abdominal complaints found in children with H. pylori infection seem to be caused by the secondary gastroduodenal pathology, rather than by H. pylori infection itself.