Iron status and Helicobacter pylori infection in symptomatic children: an international multi-centered study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) are global major public health problems, particularly in developing countries. Whilst an association between H. pylori infection and ID/IDA has been proposed in the literature, currently there is no consensus. We studied the effects of H. pylori infection on ID/IDA in a cohort of children undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy for upper abdominal pain in two developing and one developed country.

Methods

In total 311 children (mean age 10.7±3.2 years) from Latin America--Belo Horizonte/Brazil (n?=?125), Santiago/Chile (n?=?105)--and London/UK (n?=?81), were studied. Gastric and duodenal biopsies were obtained for evaluation of histology and H. pylori status and blood samples for parameters of ID/IDA.

Results

The prevalence of H. pylori infection was 27.7% being significantly higher (p<0.001) in Latin America (35%) than in UK (7%). Multiple linear regression models revealed H. pylori infection as a significant predictor of low ferritin and haemoglobin concentrations in children from Latin-America. A negative correlation was observed between MCV (r?=?-0.26; p?=?0.01) and MCH (r?=?-0.27; p?=?0.01) values and the degree of antral chronic inflammation, and between MCH and the degree of corpus chronic (r?=?-0.29, p?=?0.008) and active (r?=?-0.27, p?=?0.002) inflammation.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that H. pylori infection in children influences the serum ferritin and haemoglobin concentrations, markers of early depletion of iron stores and anaemia respectively.

SUBMITTER: Queiroz DM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3701645 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature