Article
Risk factors for Helicobacter pylori infection in children: is education a main determinant?
Registro en:
MOREIRA JÚNIOR, E. D. et al. Risk factors for Helicobacter pylori infection in children: is education a main determinant? Epidemiology and Infection, v. 132, n. 2, p. 327-335, 2004.
0950-2688
10.1017/S0950268803001572
Autor
Moreira Júnior, Edson Duarte
Santos, R. S.
Nassri, Victor Bastos
Reis, A. T.
Guerra, A. L.
Alcântara, A. P. G.
Matos, J. F.
Carvalho, Wilson Andrade de
Moura, Carlos Geraldo Guerreiro de
Silvani, Célia Stolve
Sant’Ana, C. S.
Resumen
To investigate potential risk factors associated with Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection, we performed a case-control study in 167 consecutively selected hospitalized children in Salvador, Brazil. Hp infection was identified by the presence of IgG against Hp in serum samples. Data were gathered using a structured questionnaire, 38.3% children were found to be seropositive and classified as cases, and 61.7% were seronegative controls. After multivariate analysis, independent variables associated with Hp infection included: the educational attainment of the child's provider > or = 11 years (OR 0.1, 95% CI 0.01-0.9), poor garbage disposal service (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.0-4.9), thumb sucking (OR 4.6, 95% CI 1.1-19.8), brushing teeth more than once a day (OR 5.6, 95% CI 1.8-17.7), having a pet dog (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.0-6.1), and a history of chronic urticaria (OR 4.0, 95% CI 1.5-10.8). The risk factors identified are consistent with some, but not all, previous studies supporting either oral-oral or faecal-oral transmission of Hp. Our data suggested that a higher educational attainment might play an important role in preventing Hp infection