Influence of Living Environment during Childhood on Helicobacter pylori Infection in Japanese Young Adults

Abstract

Introduction: Helicobacter pylori infection is usually established during childhood, for which certain responsible environmental factors have been identified. However, the details of the infection routes remain unclear. Objective: To determine the relation between H. pylori infection statuses and living environment of Japanese young adult. Methods: The subjects were 449 healthy young adult medical students of Tsukuba University (299 men and 150 women, mean age: 22.8 years). The H. pylori infection statuses were investigated using the rapid urease test or urine antibody. Questionnaires regarding sanitary conditions including usage of pit toilet or well water and experience of living with one's grandparents during childhood were surveyed. Each item was compared between the H. pylori-positive and-negative groups. Results: Among all participants, 33 (7.3%) were H. pylori-positive. The usage rates of pit toilets were 12.1 and 3.1% for the H. pylori-positive and-negative groups respectively (p = 0.03; OR 4.35, 95% CI 1.33-14.22). The usage rates of well water were 24.2 and 13.7% for the H. pylori-positive and-negative groups respectively (p = 0.07; OR 2.12, 95% CI 0.91-4.98). The proportion of participants with a history of living with their grandparents was significantly greater in the H. pylori-positive group (46.7%) than in the-negative group (20.9%; p = 0.03; OR 3.28, 95% CI 1.13-9.54). Only a history of living with one's grandparents during childhood showed statistical significance in the multivariate regression analysis (p = 0.04; OR 3.20, 95% CI 1.08-9.49). Conclusions: These results suggest that H. pylori infection is more strongly related to living with one's grandparents than living in a hygienic environment.

Helicobacter pylori infection and positive Rome IV criteria for functional dyspepsia in Romanian medical students

“…In terms of the environment of origin, 16.67% of them were from rural areas ( Table 1 ). Most of the participants were from Transylvania (Western Romania); only 16% ( 24 ) of them were from other regions of Romania. The mean age of the group was 21, ranging from 18 years until 27 years.…”

“…In 2014, in Iran, out of 363 medical students tested for HP infection using the IgG serology, almost half of them (45.7%) had a positive test [ 23 ]. In Japan, the prevalence was lower: out of 449 students from medical school who were investigated using the rapid urease test or urine antibody, 7.3% were infected [ 24 ].…”

Helicobacter pylori, an odontological point of view

“…H. pylori is found in the oral cavity, in saliva, the supragingival plaque, dentin caries, the subgingival plaque in chronic periodontitis, infected root canal and tongue coating [6] . Host factors are reflected in polymorphisms in host genes governing the inflammatory response that also influence the risk of a specific clinical disease [23] .…”

“…In the oral cavity, H. pylori can be found in saliva, dentin caries, subgingival dentobacterial plaque, in cases of chronic periodontitis and on the tongue [5] . This microorganism generally occurs during childhood and is known to be transmitted from mother to child, since its presence is normally found in the microflora of adults [6] . It has been shown that there is a direct relationship between chronic gastritis caused by H. pylori and poor periodontal health [7] .…”

A retrospective study of potential influence factors on Helicobacter pylori infection treatment

“…Wang et al (8) found in a community in Hebei Province of China, more than half of the population was infected with H. pylori, the socio-demographic pro les, socio-economic factors and lifestyle are potential factors affected on the prevention of diseases associated with H. pylori infection. Takunori et al (9) even found that H. pylori infection is more strongly related to living with one's grandparents than living in a hygienic environment.…”