Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in the general population evaluated by a resident-register-based epidemiological study

• Published in: Journal of gastroenterology 2022-08, Vol.57 (8), p.540-546
• Main Authors: Ito, Masanori, Sugiyama, Aya, Mino, Megumi, Kodama, Masaomi, Nagaoki, Yuko, Abe, Kanon, Imada, Hirohito, Ouoba, Serge, E, Bunthen, Ko, Ko, Akita, Tomoyuki, Harakawa, Takayuki, Sako, Toru, Chayama, Kazuaki, Tanaka, Junko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abdominal Surgery; Antibodies; Colorectal Surgery; Epidemiology; Gastric cancer; Gastroenterology; Helicobacter infections; Helicobacter pylori; Hepatology; Infections; Medical research; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Medicine, Experimental; Original Article—Alimentary Tract; Rural areas; Statistical sampling; Surgical Oncology; Urban areas; Viral antibodies
• ISSN: 0944-1174; 1435-5922
• DOI: 10.1007/s00535-022-01885-5

Background The current status of Helicobacter pylori infection in Japan has not been investigated. We evaluated the status of H. pylori infection in a Japanese general population using large-scale resident-register-based sampling. Methods All 6069 adults in a rural town and 6000 adults in two urban cities (3000 each), selected by register-based random sampling, were enrolled in our health check-up program. Antibody titers against Helicobacter pylori (cut-off value was 3 U/mL by Eiken E-plate) were evaluated, and subjects with a positive result were encouraged to undergo further examinations. Results A total of 1586 subjects participated in serum sampling. The overall prevalence of H. pylori infection was 40.0% (634/1586), and it increased with age both in rural and urban areas. Although the overall positive rate was higher in the rural area (49.4%) than in the urban areas (35.6 and 32.3%), there was no difference in H. pylori status of younger subjects between the two areas. Among 634 patients with a positive titer, 374 (59.0%) underwent further examinations including endoscopic examination, and 180/634 (28.4%) patients received eradication therapy. Gastric neoplasms (three adenocarcinomas and one adenoma) were found in our screening program. Conclusion We clarified population-based random sampling data of H. pylori infection in a Japanese general population. In younger subjects, a decrease in the prevalence of H. pylori infection was confirmed both in rural and urban areas. This provides basic information for establishing a strategy to reduce gastric cancer deaths.