Seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori in the adult population of Christchurch: risk factors and relationship to dyspeptic symptoms and iron studies

Aim. To determine the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in subjec ts randomly selected from the Christchurch population and to determine the risk factors and symptoms related to the infection. Methods. A List of names was randomly generated from the 1996 electoral rol l and subjects were sequentially contacted and invited to participate. A qu estionnaire on dyspeptic symptoms was completed and the subject's serum was analysed for H pylori antibodies using the Roche method. Equivocal samples were retested by the Meridian method. Results. One thousand and sixty-four subjects participated in the study. In four subjects results for H pylori were indeterminate and these subjects w ere excluded from analysis. Of the remaining 1060 subjects, 254 (24.0%) wer e seropositive for H pylori. The seropositivity in males (n=444) was 25.9% and in females (n=616) 22.6%. On multivariate analysis age, ethnicity, low income and smoking > 20 cigarettes per day were all independent predictors of H pylori seropositivity. H pylori positive subjects had shorter stature compared to those who were seronegative. The symptom scores for dyspepsia w ere similar in both the seropositive and seronegative subjects. In males th e serum iron levels were lower in seropositive subjects but there were no s ignificant differences in serum ferritin in either males or females between seropositive and seronegative subjects. Conclusion. H pylori is a common infection in the Christchurch community wi th the prevalence increasing significantly with age. H pylori positive subj ects had shorter stature and in males lower serum iron levels were observed . Infection was not associated with an increased risk of dyspeptic symptoms .