Helicobacter pylori Seropositivity in Children With Asthma

Abstract

Background: Some studies have reported an association between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) colonization and the occurrence of asthma or other allergies. However, data are inconsistent, and few studies have been performed in children. Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate H. pylori seropositivity in children with and without asthma. Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed with 208 children aged 5- to 12-years-old (104 asthmatic subjects in the case group and 104 healthy individuals in the control group) who had been referred to the pediatric clinic of Amir Kabir hospital in Arak, Iran. H. pylori seropositivity was compared between the two groups according to the serum level of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody against the H. pylori cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA) protein, which was measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: The H. pylori serology test was positive in 13 (12.5%) asthmatic subjects and 18 (17.3%) healthy subjects. This difference was not significant (P = 0.54). Duration of asthma in the serology-positive children (3.61 ± 1.5 years) was significantly higher than that of the serology-negative children (2.16 ± 1.33 years) (P = 0.0001). No significant correlations were found between H. pylori seropositivity and age (P = 0.95), gender (P = 0.7), severity of asthma (P = 0.54), control of the asthma (P = 0.23), or pulmonary function test (PFT) results (P = 0.23). Conclusions: The results showed no association between childhood asthma and H. pylori seropositivity. However, due to the lack of studies, especially in children, and controversial results of the clinical studies, further studies are recommended.