Estudo da transmissão intrafamiliar do Helicobacter pylori em uma comunidade de baixa renda em Fortaleza, Ceará

Abstract

To further evaluate interfamilial transmission of H. pylori infection during childhood, we investigated the prevalence of H. pylori infection in family members from a poor H. pylori high prevalence urban community in the Northeast of Brazil. H pylori infection was investigated in 570 members of 128 households, by 13C-urea breath test in children and by ELISA in mothers and other adult relatives. The overall prevalence of H. pylori infection 65.9% (376/570) increased with age (p < 0.001) and ranged from 28.9%, in children aged 6 months to 5 years to 82% in adults over 40 years. An H. pylori positive mother and the number of infected siblings are independent risk factors for childhood H. pylori infection (OR = 2.2, 95% CI = 1.0-4.6 and OR = 4.3, 95% CI = 2.3-8.1, respectively). The number of siblings, number of younger siblings, and number of infected younger siblings were also associated with the infection in the univariate analysis. The number of infected younger siblings remained independently associated with the infection (p=0.000), even after controlling for all the above cited variables, in addition to the H. pylori status of siblings and mothers, age, number of people per room, and number of children in the household. The transmission of H. pylori occurs from infected mothers to their offspring and among siblings, notably from younger siblings to the older ones.