HELICOBACTER-PYLORI AND RECURRENT ABDOMINAL-PAIN IN CHILDREN

Recurrent abdominal pain is one of the most common presentations to pe diatricians; yet an organic etiology can be found in only 10% of cases . Because infection with Helicobacter pylori in adults and children re sults in gastritis, a causative role for the organism has been postula ted. To investigate this theory, we conducted a prospective case-contr ol study in children with recurrent abdominal pain using serum H. pylo ri IgG antibodies measured by an enzyme immunoabsorbent assay. Age, se x, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status were adjusted in the statistica l model. Five subjects (5.1%) and 14 controls (14.3%) had raised serum IgG antibodies to H. pylori (adjusted OR, 0.21; 95% confidence interv al, 0.05, 0.85). The negative association between PI. pylori and recur rent abdominal pain indicates that this organism is unlikely to have a n important etiologic role in this disorder.