Helicobacter pylori infection in dyspeptic children : endoscopic and histological features

Abstract EN

Objectives : In order to study helicobacter pylori infection in children with chronic dyspepsia in respect to prevalence, endoscopic and histological findings.

Methods : A total of 163 dyspeptic children (below the age of 14 years) were included in this prospective study over two years duration in Prince Rashid Bin Al-Hassan military hospital in Irbid in North of Jordan.

All those children underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy and helicobacter pylori infection was detected histopathologically from gastric biopsies.

Results : Helicobacter pylori chronic gastritis was found in 82 % of patients.

Normal endoscopy was shown in 47 % of the helicobacter pylori positive patients.

The most common endoscopic finding was antral nodularity (38 %) which significantly indicated helicobacter pylori infection.

Prevalence of helicobacter pylori infection increased with age but it showed no significant difference with sex.

Conclusion : The prevalence of helicobacter pylori infection was frequent in dyspeptic children presenting to our hospital.

Although some endoscopic findings such as gastric antral hyperemia and nodularity significantly indicated helicobacter pylori infection, biopsies are mandatory to confirm diagnosis and to rule out the infection in normal upper endoscopies.