Epidemiological investigation of infection in elderly people in Beijing.

Background: The () infection rate in China is approximately 50%. is a pathogenic factor of peptic ulcer and chronic gastritis. In addition, infection may also be associated with a variety of cardiovascular diseases in elderly people, such as arteriosclerosis, coronary heart disease, and cerebral infarction, having deleterious effect on their health. With the aging of the population, the disease characteristics of the elderly population have been increasingly valued by the whole society. We conducted an epidemiological survey of infection among elderly people in Beijing to provide a basis for health management of infection.

Aim: To understand the epidemiological characteristics of infection in elderly people in Beijing.

Methods: A total of 1090 elderly people aged more than 60 years from different parts of Beijing (urban and rural areas) were selected using the random cluster sampling method. Structured questionnaires were completed during home visits and the C-urea breath test was conducted for detection.

Results: The prevalence of infection was 46.5% (507/1090). The infection rate in men was 51.8%, which was significantly higher than that in women (42.5%; < 0.05). The infection rate in illiterate people was significantly higher than that in literate persons (53.5% 44.8%, < 0.05). The total infection rate of gradually increased with age and the difference was statistically significant ( < 0.01). The infection rate in smokers was significantly higher than that in non-smokers and those who had quit smoking ( < 0.05).

Conclusion: The prevalence of infection among elderly people is 46.5% and the infection rate gradually increases with age. Sex, education level, age, and smoking were determined to be infection risk factors. The relationship of infection with region, occupation, drinking, and diet structure needs to be further studied.