POSITIVE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN HELICOBACTER-PYLORI INFECTION AND FOOD ALLERGY IN CHILDREN

Background: In children Helicobacter pylori has been involved as a pat hogenetic factor in gastritis and duodenal ulcer and as a cofactor in protein-losing enteropathy, chronic diarrhoea, short stature, and gast ritis lymphoproliferative disease. A subset of an H. pylori strain pos sesses an antigen, CagA, as a virulence factor. in the present study w e determined anti-H. pylori Ige and anti-CagA Ige titres in children w ith food allergy. Methods: Ninety paediatric patients were studied: 30 with food allergy, 30 with atopic asthma, and 30 with inflammatory bo wel disease. Anti-H. pylori IgG and anti-CagA IgG were determined in a ll children by means of a commercial enzyme immunoassay (ELISA). Resul ts: The anti-H. pylori IgG titre was significantly higher in allergic patients than in the other two groups. The anti-CagA IgG titre did not differ significantly between the patients, Conclusions: These finding s show a positive association between H. pylori infection and food all ergy in children. We hypothesize that virulence factors other than Cag A may be involved in the pathogenesis of H. pylori infection in paedia tric patients with food allergy.