Helicobacter pylori infection in children

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori infection is mainly acquired during childhood period. It is recognised as a cause of gastritis and peptic ulcer and it has been classified as a group A carcinogen by the World Health Organisation. There is emerging evidence in different populations including developing countries that the prevalence of H.pylori is declining in all age groups. Neither the treatment of the infection nor improvement in socioeconomic factors fully explains the decline. Most of the infected children are asymtomatic, and there is no specific clinical picture indicating a need to screen for H. pylori in pediatric age groups. Although there is abundance of invasive and non-invasive tests for the diagnosis of the infection, there is still no single noninvasive diagnostic test for the diagnosis of H.pylori in children, particularly in infants. Additionally, the real outcome of the infecion in children is still obscure. The scope of this review was to discuss the epidemiology, clinical features, diagnostic techniques, and management of H.pylori infection pediatric paitents.