PARENTAL SMOKING AND INFECTION WITH HELICOBACTER-PYLORI AMONG PRESCHOOL-CHILDREN IN SOUTHERN GERMANY

Exposure to parental smoking is known to increase children's susceptib ility to a variety of infections. We investigated the relation of pare ntal smoking to infection with Helicobacter pylori in a population-bas ed study among preschool children who were screened for school fitness in the city of Ulm, Germany, in 1996. Current infection with H. pylor i was measured by a C-13-labeled urea breath test. Information on fact ors potentially related to H. pylori infection, including parental smo king in the household, was obtained from children's parents through a self-administered standardized questionnaire. Among 1,201 eligible chi ldren, 945 participated in the study (response rate = 79%). Overall pr evalence of active infection was 13.7%. After adjustment for confoundi ng factors, we found a strong positive relation between smoking by the father in the household and H. pylori infection (odds ratio = 3.7; 95 % confidence interval = 2.3-6.1). By contrast, there was a strong nega tive relation between smoking by the mother and H. pylori infection (o dds ratio = 0.4; 95% confidence interval = 0.2-0.8) that was most pron ounced among children who had been breastfed. These striking patterns cannot be explained by current knowledge.