Published online May 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i19.5625
Revised: December 13, 2013
Accepted: January 8, 2014
Published online: May 21, 2014
To evaluate vital signs and body indices in Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) positive and negative persons. A total of 22 centres entered the study. They were spread over the whole country, corresponding well to the geographical distribution of the Czech population. A total of 1818 subjects (aged 5-98 years) took part in the study, randomly selected out of 38147 subjects. H. pylori infection was investigated by means of a 13C-urea breath test. Data on height, weight, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were collected at the clinics of general practitioners. The overall prevalence of H. pylori infection was 30.4% (402/1321) in adults (≥ 18 year-old) and 5.2% (26/497) in children and adolescents (≤ 17 year-old). Once adjusted for age and gender, only a difference in body mass index remained statistically significant with H. pylori positive adults showing an increase of 0.6 kg/m2 in body mass index. Once adjusted for age and gender, we found a difference in height between H. pylori positive and H. pylori negative children and adolescents. On further adjustment for place of residence, this difference became statistically significant, with H. pylori positive children and adolescents being on average 3.5 cm shorter. H. pylori positive adults were significantly older compared to H. pylori negative subjects. Once adjusted for age and gender, H. pylori infection had no impact on body weight, body mass index and vital signs either in adults or children and adolescents. Chronic H. pylori infection appeared to be associated with short stature in children. H. pylori infection did not influence blood pressure, body weight and body mass index either in adults or children and adolescents.
Core tip: Our group studied body indices and basic vital signs in Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) positive and negative persons in 2001. The prevalence of H. pylori infection decreased significantly in the Czech Republic from 41.7% (2001) to 23.5% (2011). The aim of this multi-centre prospective study was to evaluate body indices and vital signs using comparable methods in the general population from identical geographical areas 10 years later. According to our current results, chronic H. pylori infection was associated with short stature in children. H. pylori infection did not influence blood pressure, body weight and body mass index either in adults or children and adolescents.