IDDF2024-ABS-0162 Prevalence of helicobacter pylori infection in chinese civilians: a cross-sectional, multicenter-based investigation

<h3>Background</h3> Helicobacter pylori (<i>H. pylori</i>) infection is a prevalent disease and is recognized as the main cause of many diseases including dyspepsia, gastritis, and gastric cancer. The prevalence of <i>H. pylori</i> infection and its regional distribution in Chinese civilians has recently changed. Understanding the prevalence of <i>H. pylori</i> infection and its regional variation will aid in the development of customized strategies to better manage this infectious disease. This investigation aimed to learn the prevalence of <i>H. pylori</i> infection in civilians from five tertiary hospitals located in the Northwest, Southeast, North, South, and Southwest cities of China. <h3>Methods</h3> This investigation was a multicenter retrospective cross-sectional study. A total of 71,645 participants who underwent urea breath test (UBT) between January 2020 and December 2021 at five tertiary hospitals in Beijing, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Lanzhou, and Chengdu were included. Basic demographic information and UBT data were collected. <i>H. pylori</i> infection was diagnosed using UBT. <h3>Results</h3> Of 71,645 individuals, 24,289 (33.9%) were UBT<i>-</i>positive. The highest prevalence of <i>H. pylori</i> was in the 30-39 years group, with infection rates of 35.6% (6980/19611), followed by the 18-29 years group (34.6%, 4360/12586), 40-49 years group (34.6%, 4627/13383), 50-59 years group (33.8%, 4714/13965), 70-79 years group (30.0%, 1248/4157), and 60-69 years group (29.7%, 2360/7943). The individuals in Lanzhou and Chengdu showed a higher infection prevalence than those in Beijing, Nanjing, and Guangzhou, with prevalence rates of 44.8% (6768/15094), 36.7% (1679/4574), 28.5% (7333/25697), 31.9% (7502/23519), and 36.5% (1007/2761), respectively. There were significant differences in infection rates among different regions (<i>P</i>&lt;0.001). <h3>Conclusions</h3> <i>H. pylori</i> is still a common infection among civilians in China and has a relatively higher infection rate in Northwest China.