Study of H. pylori infection in children with recurrent abdominal pain attending the pediatrics outpatient clinic of Zagazig University hospitals

Abstract EN

This study assessed the prevalence of H.

pylori infection in children with recurrent abdominal pain attending the Outpatient Pediatric Clinic of Zagazig University Hospitals.

The study was conducted on 100 children suffering from different GIT symptoms mainly recurrent abdominal pain.

They were categorized into 3 categories according to their ages.

First category below 5 years, second category between 5 and 10 years and last category above 10 years.

All subjects underwent full history taking, clinical examination and laboratory investigations.

Protozoa infection was in 29 % of patients, helminthes 10 %, chronic constipation 4 % and UTI 4 %.

The patients with apparent etiology were excluded.

The data do not support the hypothesis that there is a direct role for H.

pylori infection as a causative agent for Recurrent Abdominal Pain (RAP) in children.

The mean ± SD of age of patients were 5.7 ± 3.7 with range of 1 : 18 years.

Male to female ratio was 1 : 1.1.

H.

pylori serum IgG antibodies were in 26 patients (43.3 %) and 24 controls (p = 0.71), and H.

pylori stool Ag in stool of 22 cases and 20 controls (p = 0.7).