Helicobacter pylori infection in recurrent abdominal pain

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Gastric Mucosa Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction Analysis for Detecting Helicobacter pylori and Antibiotic Resistance
05:23

Gastric Mucosa Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction Analysis for Detecting Helicobacter pylori and Antibiotic Resistance

Published on: March 7, 2025

D Bansal1, A K Patwari, V L Malhotra

  • 1Department of Pediatrics and Microbiology, Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi.

Indian Pediatrics
|October 15, 1998
PubMed

Insights

Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection is not strongly linked to recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) in children, with similar infection rates found in both affected children and healthy controls. The rapid urease test (RUT) is a reliable method for diagnosing Hp.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Gastroenterology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) is a common pediatric complaint.
  • Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection is a potential, though not fully established, cause of gastrointestinal issues in children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between Helicobacter pylori infection and recurrent abdominal pain in children.
  • To assess the efficacy of different diagnostic methods for Helicobacter pylori.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective case-control study was conducted in a teaching hospital.
  • Children aged 3-12 with RAP underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy with biopsy.
  • Diagnostic tests included histopathology, rapid urease test (RUT), and serum IgG antibodies against Hp, compared to age-matched controls.

Main Results:

  • Helicobacter pylori colonization was found in 23% of children with RAP, which was not significantly higher than the 19% seroprevalence in controls.
  • A significant correlation was observed between Hp colonization and chronic antral gastritis and chronic duodenitis.
  • The rapid urease test (RUT) demonstrated reliability in detecting Hp infection.

Conclusions:

  • Helicobacter pylori does not appear to be a common cause of recurrent abdominal pain in this pediatric population.
  • Chronic antral gastritis and chronic duodenitis are significantly associated with Hp colonization.
  • The rapid urease test (RUT) is a dependable diagnostic tool for Helicobacter pylori detection.
Abstract

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