H. Pylori Infection Common in 4- to 9-year-old Children

H. Pylori Infection Common in 4- to 9-year-old Children

A study published in the Lancet indicates children become infected with the ulcer-causing stomach bug H. pylori as early as 4 to 9 years old.

Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine, University of Texas Medical School and Tulane University School of Public Health set out to investigate at what age H. pylori infections arise in humans. They studied blood samples of 224 children born in 1975-76 for antibodies to H. pylori. The researchers examined the blood approximately every 3 years during the 20-year study.

At ages one to three, 8 percent of the children were infected with H. pylori. By age 18 - 23, 24.5 percent were infected. Blacks were more likely to be infected than whites, but girls and boys were infected equally. Annually, 2.3 percent of the black children and 0.7% Caucasian children contracted H. pylori. For the entire group of children studied, the children 4 - 6 years old had the highest age-specific rate of infection (2.1% per year), followed by those age 7-9 years (1.5% per year), with risk decreasing steadily as the study subjects aged.

According to the researchers, 'While this study offers little in the way of detailed risk factors for infection, it does indicate that the highest risk of H. pylori [infection] is in children ages 4-9, with blacks at substantially higher risk than whites. While H. pylori is known to cluster in families, further work will be necessary to determine what puts such families at risk.'

H. pylori, or Helicobacter pylori, has been linked to ulcers, heartburn, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), stomach cancer, rosacea and many other diseases. The prevalence of H. pylori is clearly widespread. While traditional medicine calls for antibiotics to kill the prolific bacteria, often these antibiotics fail. More natural means such as consuming hydrochloric acid supplements (as in VRP's GastricAid™) or mastic gum (as in VRP's CeaseFire™), have been shown to eradicate H. pylori.

Reference:

Malaty HM, El-Kasabany A, Graham DY, Miller CC, Reddy SG, Srinivasan SR, Yamaoka Y, Berenson GS. Age at acquisition of Helicobacter pylori infection: a follow-up study from infancy to adulthood. Lancet. 2002 Mar 16;359(9310):931-5.