Family factors and Helicobacter pylori infection in schoolchildren in the Republic of Tuva with a high prevalence of gastric cancer

Abstract

Aim. To study the prevalence of H. pylori in Tuva schoolchildren with gastrointestinal manifestations and to assess the impact of the number of children in the family, education, and employment status of parents on its indices. Materials and methods. The study of H. pylori infection in 270 students aged 7-17 years (123 Caucasian, 147 Tuvans) with gastrointestinal complaints there was used morphological method, considering the affiliation of a microorganism to a CagA strain in the Republic of Tuva and evaluation of the influence of family factors on the level of bacterial invasion in children. The study groups were formed by random selection from among children with complaints in a cross-sectional clinical examination of 1535 schoolchildren. Statistical processing of the results was performed using the Pearson Chi-square criterion and logistic regression analysis - calculating the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results. The infection rate of H. pylori in Tuva schoolchildren accounted of 55.9%. Younger Tuvans had higher infection rates, indicating earlier bacterial infestation. In more than half of the cases in schoolchildren, the bacterium was identified to belong to the CagA strain, and in both ethnic populations. Among the factors considered, a positive influence of the mother’s higher education (0.33 (0.11-0.96), p = 0.043), and her social status (working profession: 3.87 (1.33-11.29), p = 0.014) on the infection rate was found in the population of Caucasians. The father’s education and employment status did not play a significant role. In the population of Tuvans, there was no association between the studied factors and the level of infection. Conclusion. In the Republic of Tuva, there is a high infection rate of H. pylori with the predominant belonging of the bacterium to the CagA strain, which is typical for territories with low sanitary and socio-economic living standards of the population. There are ethnic features of the influence of family factors on the infection rates of schoolchildren.