Published online Jun 6, 2020. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v8.i11.2173
Peer-review started: December 27, 2019
First decision: February 18, 2020
Revised: March 27, 2020
Accepted: May 13, 2020
Article in press: May 13, 2020
Published online: June 6, 2020
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is globally distributed. The H. pylori infection rate in China is approximately 50%. A large number of studies show that H. pylori infection rate increases with age. The infection rate among asymptomatic elderly people is 40%-60%, while the rate among elderly people with gastrointestinal diseases is more than 70%. This may be due to the low immunity of the elderly, poor living and health conditions, and low socio-economic status. H. pylori is a pathogenic factor of peptic ulcer and chronic gastritis. Compared with young people, the detection and treatment of H. pylori in the elderly should be regarded as an important goal in clinical practice, because it plays an important role in gastrointestinal diseases in the elderly. With the aging of the population, the disease characteristics of the elderly population have been increasingly valued by the whole society. We conducted an epidemiological survey of H. pylori infection among elderly people in Beijing to provide a basis for health management of H. pylori infection.
With the increase of age, the infection rate of H. pylori also increases. Compared with young people, the elderly have more non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-related gastrointestinal damage and higher incidence of functional dyspepsia, chronic atrophic gastritis, and gastric cancer. H. pylori infection will not only aggravate the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-related gastrointestinal damage, but is also the known cause of chronic atrophic gastritis and gastric cancer. H. pylori infection may also be associated with a variety of cardiovascular diseases in elderly people, such as arteriosclerosis, coronary heart disease, and cerebral infarction, having deleterious effect on their health. Therefore, H. pylori infection is more harmful to the elderly. We conducted an epidemiological survey of H. pylori infection among elderly people in Beijing to further improve the knowledge, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of H. pylori infection and related diseases in the elderly.
The main objective of this study was to investigate the status of H. pylori infection in the elderly in different areas of Beijing. At the same time, we investigated the influencing factors of H. pylori infection in the elderly, including gender, region, occupation, history of H. pylori infection, and dietary and hygiene habits, to provide a basis for health management of H. pylori infection.
The 3C urea breath test (13C-UBT) was used for detection of H. pylori infection. The test was performed on an empty stomach in the morning using a commercial kit. First, baseline samples were collected. Subjects were instructed to exhale as much air as possible in the blue bottom air bag. Next, they took urea 13C tablets with 100 mL of warm water. After 30 min, testing samples were collected. Subjects were instructed to exhale as much air as possible in the red bottom air bag. The 0-min and 30-min sample air bags were analyzed using external 13C infrared spectrometer for 13CO2 detection. Compared with serological tests, the 13C-UBT used in this study has the advantage of high sensitivity and specificity for detecting a current H. pylori infection.
The prevalence of H. pylori in elderly men in Beijing was higher than that in women (P < 0.05). Moreover, the infection rate of H. pylori among illiterate elderly people was significantly higher than that in literate people (P < 0.05). However, the infection rates in the elderly people had no significant correlation with occupation or dietary structure. In addition, the positive rate of H. pylori infection was the highest among those consuming alcohol and the H. pylori infection rate in smokers was significantly higher than that in non-smokers.
H. pylori infection among the elderly people in Beijing is closely related to sex, age, smoking, and education level.
The relationship of H. pylori infection with region, diet structure, occupation, and drinking needs further study.