Data on prevalence and determinants of Helicobacter pylori
infection in well-defined
populations are scarce. We investigated the prevalence and
determinants of active H. pylori
infection in a population of out-patients attending a general
practitioner in Southern Germany.
Infection status was determined by [13C]urea breath
test. In addition, information on potential
risk factors and medical history was collected.
Five hundred and one of the 531 eligible patients participated in the
study (response rate of
94·4%). In total, 117 of the 501 patients had a positive
[13C]urea breath test (23·4%).
Prevalence of H. pylori infection increased with age from
10·8% (95% CI 5·7–18·1%) in the
age group 15–29 years to 30·8% (95% CI
22·1–40·6%) in the age group 60–79 years and
was
20·3%, 30·4% and 28·2% for the age groups
30–39, 40–49 and 50–59 years, respectively.
Education and childhood living conditions, especially the number of siblings,
were identified as additional independent determinants of infection.