Prevalence of and risk factors for H. pylori infection in healthy children and young adults in Belgium anno 2010/2011.

Objective: Estimation of prevalence and risk factors for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in children and young adults in Belgium.

Study Design: Five hundred and sixteen schoolchildren between 12 and 25 years old were tested for H. pylori infection using 13C-UBT in different regions in Belgium. A questionnaire was used to evaluate risk factors.

Results: Fifty six (11%) tested positive. In children born in Belgium, with parents from Belgium, 13 (3,2%) tested positive. In children born in a foreign country, 20 (60%) tested positive; if born in Belgium but 1 or 2 parents were from a foreign country, 15 (30%) tested positive. Differences were significant (p <0.001). In the multivariate analyses, significant risk factors were staying in a day nursery, a birthplace of child or father outside Belgium, and lower education levels of mother.

Conclusion: In this cohort of Belgian asymptomatic children and young adults, the prevalence of H. pylori infection is 11%, ranging from 3,2% in Belgian born children with Belgian parents to 60% in children born in high prevalence countries from foreign parents. The most significant risk factor found in this study was origin.