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Helicobacter pylori in out-patients of a general practitioner: prevalence and determinants of current infection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 1997

D. ROTHENBACHER
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology, University of Ulm, , D-89069 Ulm/Germany
G. BODE
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Ulm, D-89070 Ulm/Germany
T. WINZ
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology, University of Ulm, , D-89069 Ulm/Germany
G. BERG
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology, University of Ulm, , D-89069 Ulm/Germany
G. ADLER
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Ulm, D-89070 Ulm/Germany
H. BRENNER
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology, University of Ulm, , D-89069 Ulm/Germany
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Abstract

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Data on prevalence and determinants of Helicobacter pylori infection in well-defined populations are scarce. We investigated the prevalence and determinants of active H. pylori infection in a population of out-patients attending a general practitioner in Southern Germany. Infection status was determined by [13C]urea breath test. In addition, information on potential risk factors and medical history was collected.

Five hundred and one of the 531 eligible patients participated in the study (response rate of 94·4%). In total, 117 of the 501 patients had a positive [13C]urea breath test (23·4%). Prevalence of H. pylori infection increased with age from 10·8% (95% CI 5·7–18·1%) in the age group 15–29 years to 30·8% (95% CI 22·1–40·6%) in the age group 60–79 years and was 20·3%, 30·4% and 28·2% for the age groups 30–39, 40–49 and 50–59 years, respectively. Education and childhood living conditions, especially the number of siblings, were identified as additional independent determinants of infection.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1997 Cambridge University Press