Helicobacter pylori infection - Definition and Epidemiology

Helicobacter pylori infection - Definition and Epidemiology

Helicobacter pylori is a small, curved, highly motile, Gram negative bacillus that colonises only the mucus layer of the human stomach. Since its discovery in 1984, it has been recognised as the principal cause of peptic ulcer disease and as the main risk factor for the development of gastric cancer. However, most infected people ( > 70%) are asymptomatic. We therefore need to discover how infection is acquired, why ulcers or cancer occur in so few of those infected, and how this subgroup can be identified and treated.

Epidemiology of H pylori infection

H pylori is one of the commonest bacterial pathogens in humans. The prevalence of infection varies but is falling in most developed countries. Seropositivity increases with age and low socioeconomic status. Retrospective seroepidemiological studies have shown a cohort effect consistent with the hypothesis that infection is mainly acquired in early childhood. Until recently, however, it has been difficult to assess accurately the incidence (or route) of infection because of the inaccuracy and cost of detecting (non-invasively) H pylori in young children. Primary acquisition in adults, or reinfection after successful eradication, does occur but is less common, with an annual incidence of 0.3-0.7% in developed countries and 6-14% in developing countries.

How H pylori is usually acquired and its route of transmission are unknown. Since humans are the only known reservoir of infection, it is likely that in developed countries H pylori is picked up from siblings, other children, or parents, predominantly via the gastro-oral route. In developing countries faecal-oral transmission may also occur. Various risk factors are associated with H pylori infection, but the extent to which these are simply markers of childhood socioeconomic deprivation is unclear. H pylori infection is an occupational hazard for gastroenterologists and is associated with performing endoscopy.



References:
- Robert PH Logan. 2002. ABC OF THE UPPER GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT. London: BMJ Books

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