Seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in Nepal: low prevalence in an isolated rural village.

Objective: To determine the seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in Nepal.

Design: H. pylori infection was identified using a specific and sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for anti-H. pylori immunoglobulin G.

Study Population: Serum samples were collected from 1142 inhabitants (age range 4-93 years) from two villages: Kotyang, a rural isolated village (250 men, 210 women) and Bhadrakali, a suburban village of Kathmandu (334 men, 348 women).

Results: The overall prevalence of H. pylori infection was 56.8%, while significantly higher prevalence was found in the suburban village (Bhadrakali; 67.2%) than in the rural village (Kotyang; 41.5%). This difference was generally reflected by the infection rate in the 10-14-year-old age-group (Bhadrakali, 60% compared with Kotyang, 22.2%). The prevalence of infection significantly increased with age, while no significant difference was found in the prevalence of infection by gender. There was no difference in H. pylori positivity between individuals with and without upper abdominal symptoms in both villages.

Conclusion: There was a significant regional difference in the seroprevalence of H. pylori within Nepal, which showed lower prevalence in an isolated rural village. This difference was mainly caused by the different acquisition rate in teenagers, thus indicating that the teenage lifestyle of this particular environment seemed to be the major determinant in the acquisition of H. pylori infection in the population.