Helicobacter pylori Infection in Children

We have assessed 270 consecutive patients (age range 0.8–20 years) referred for endoscopic study because of abdominal pain during 32 months. Helicobacter pylori (HP) was detected by culture in 91 cases (33.7%). HP colonization increased significantly with age (p < 0.01). Nine patients <5 years of age were colonized by HP. A previous history of peptic ulcer disease in first‐degree relatives was significantly more frequent in the HP‐positive group (p < 0.001). The frequency of HP positiveness as related to diagnosis was: normal, 3.3%; non‐active chronic gastritis, 100%; active chronic gastritis, 97.2%; gastric ulcer, 75%; and duodenal ulcer, 90.9% (p < 0.001). Endoscopic nodular antritis was a frequent (67%) and specific finding; this presence was associated with that of lymphoid follicles in the histopathological study. Signs of histological activity were observed in 55.9% of the HP‐positive patients. The histological colonization by HP was assessed semiquantitatively, and a significantly greater HP colonization score was observed in patients with signs of histological activity (p < 0.001). A significant correlation was found between HP colonization score and histological score ( r s = 0.574), with a significant association between the degree of HP colonization and the histologic categories (p < 0.001). The present study suggests a pathogenic role of HP in the development of gastroduodenal disease in children.