Determinants of Helicobacter pylori seroprevalence among Italian blood donors

Background/Aim Helicobacter pylori is a worldwide infection. It is estimate d that approximately 50% of the general population is affected, but this pe rcentage varies considerably between countries. To investigate the prevalen ce of H. pylori infection, a cross-sectional epidemiological study, based o n the serological determination of the IgG antibodies against H. pylori, wa s carried out in healthy Italian blood donors by using a commercially avail able kit. Methods From March 1995 to March 1997, a total of 2598 consecutive voluntee r blood donors were tested for the presence of antibodies against H, pylori , All patients answered a detailed questionnaire which collected sociodemog raphic characteristics, and smoking, alcohol drinking and dietary habits. T est-positive subjects with gastrointestinal symptoms underwent endoscopy, w ith biopsies taken for histological diagnosis. Results The global prevalence of H, pylori infection in our study was 1161/ 2598 (45%). It was directly correlated with age (67% in subjects aged great er than or equal to 50 years). The prevalence of H. pylori infection was hi gher in men (46.4%) than women (38.4%), and more frequent in patients with a low educational level, in the lower quintile of height and in the upper q uintile of body mass index (BMI), No significant association with smoking a nd alcohol drinking was found. Inverse associations were found with elevate d consumption of milk (chi-square for trend 5.49, P < 0.05), but not other examined food groups. Multivariate analysis selected sex, age, BMI and educ ational level as the variables independently related to H. pylori infection . Conclusion This study confirms relatively high prevalence of H. pylori sero positivity among Italian healthy adults and points to sex, age, BMI and soc iocultural class as persisting determinant features of H. pylori infection. fur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 11:867-873 (C) 1999 Lippincott Williams & Wilk ins.