Unexpected high seroprevalence of helicobacter pylori infection in Mashhad, Iran

Almost half of the world's population is infected with Helicobacter pylori infection; therefore, it can be considered the most widespread infection across the globe. Considering the high importance and prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection and inadequate information in the east of the country, especially Mashhad, the present study aimed to determine the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in a sample of the general population of Mashhad.

For the purpose of the study, a total of 1,026 subjects were selected as the sample from the general population of Mashhad. Their serum samples which were stored in Mashhad study project were provided to the researchers. The samples were examined for the presence or absence of anti-Helicobacter pylori antibody.

The mean age of subjects was reported as 45 years.The majority of cases (54.8%) were female. The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in the study population was obtained at 85.2. The participants were assigned to two groups of infected and non-infected based on Helicobacter pylori infection. No significant differences were observed between the two groups in any of the laboratory variables. Furthermore, the assessment of underlying variables demonstrated that the two groups did not significantly differ in any of the stated variables.

The results of the present study pointed to a very high prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in a sample of the general population of Mashhad. This highlights the importance of investigating this bacterium as one of the major causes of various gastrointestinal problems.