Seroepidemiology and determination of age trend of Helicobacter pylori contamination in Golestan province in 2008.

Background: Infection with Helicobacter pylori might be related to chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer and gastric Adenocarcinoma. Given the high prevalence of Helicobacter infection in our region, this study was designed to determine the age trend of Helicobacter pylori contamination in Golestan province in 2008. Materials andMethods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out on 1028 residents of Golestan province, which were randomly selected by cluster sampling in 2008. Data were gathered by questionnaires and trial examinations. Blood sampling and titration of anti-H pylori IgG by ELISAwere done. SPSS software was used for statistical analysis of the results and was considered significant (P‹0.05). Results: Prevalence of H. pylori infection was 66.4% in Golestan. The lowest frequent seropositive group was under 5 year old children (30.6%) and subjects living in Bandar Gaz and Kordkuy cities (44.6% and 31.6%, respectively) and in west of province. The highest frequent seropositive group was 55-64 year old subjects living in east of province, Azadshahr and Kalaleh (77.6% and 76.6%, respectively). There were no significant relations between prevalence of infection, occupation, gender, residency in either urban or rural area and BMI. Conclusion: The prevalence of H. pylori in Golestan was equal to that in other provinces in Iran. The rate of infection was increased by increasing the age up to 25 years of age. It is suggested to set up a research project, to determine the prevalence of pathogenic factors especially VacA, CagA or their anti-bodies in society to disclose the risk associated with H. pylori.