Incidence of helicobacter pylori infection as a cause of pediatric upper gastrointestinal bleeding

Background In children, upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is a potentially dangerous and fatal clinical disease. The fact that most risk factors for infection are strongly associated with substandard living circumstances provides evidence in favor of the oral-oral or fecal-oral pathways of helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) transmission. Aim To determine the prevalence of H. pylori infection in kids diagnosed with UGIB and compare the endoscopy results with the infection. Patients and methods This prospective, case-control study was conducted on 70 children aged less than 18, both sexes, with upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding in the form of hematemesis, melena, or both, and 30 healthy children as controls. Each patient underwent a GI endoscopy, and stool samples were tested for the H. pylori antigen. Results Patients with H. pylori infection were positively correlated with age, and older patients had a considerably higher presentation rate of H. pylori infection. Low socioeconomic standard level, large family members, family history, and epigastric abdominal pain were significantly high in H. pylori positive group. The history of umbilical catheterization and the percentage of splenomegaly and Hepatosplenomegaly were significantly higher in the variceal group. This means hemoglobin level, total serum protein, and serum albumin were significantly lower in the variceal group. Conclusions 30 (42.8%) of the 70 individuals who experienced upper GI hemorrhage also had H. pylori-infected patients who had lower serum hemoglobin levels and were presented with abdominal pain (epigastric). H. pylori-infected patients had endoscopic findings, mostly gastritis and peptic ulcer.