Helicobacter pylori prevalence in two Iranian provinces with high and low incidence of gastric carcinoma

Abstract

Background: Gastric cancer (G.Ca) is significantly more prevalent in north western than central Iran. Growing evidence has related Helicobacter pylori (H.P) to G.Ca worldwide. We assessed the prevalence of H.P infection in high (Ardebil) and low (Yazd) prevalence of G.Ca provinces of Iran. Methods: Cluster sampling of healthy population aged less than 20 years was performed in Ardebil and Yazd provinces over 2 months. Ten cc blood was drawn from each person and H.P IgG was tested using ELISA (Diagnostic Corp., sensitivity 98%, specificity 96%). Results: 711 individuals (358 in Ardebil and 353 in Yazd) were enrolled. 170 individuals (47.5%) in Ardebil and 108 individuals (30.6%) in Yazd were positive for H.P (P<0.0001). Using logistic regression analysis, the predictive probability of H.P infection in different age groups was calculated. Conclusion: H.P infection is significantly more prevalent among individuals less than 20 years in areas with high prevalence of gastric cancer in Iran. Our data suggest a relation between H.P infection and gastric cancer in Iran

Keywords

• Gastric carcinoma