Helicobacter pylori infection in children: an overview of diagnostic methods

AbstractChildren differ from adults regardingHelicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in many terms.H. pylori infection represents a key factor in the pathogenesis of duodenal ulcer and chronic gastritis in children.H. pylori infection causes some extraintestinal diseases as well as gastrointestinal diseases. Although, among these illnesses in children, symptoms like recurrent abdominal pain are not specific. Moreover, the role of the pathogen in the growth faltering, iron deficiency anemia, and asthma still remains controversial. A reliable method to detectH. pylori infection is a crucial issue, sand is still a matter of active debate. The tests applied forH. pylori diagnosis are grouped as either invasive or non-invasive methods. Invasive methods consist of endoscopic evaluation, the rapid urease test (RUT), histology, and bacterial culture. Non-invasive tests include the urea breath test (UBT), stool antigen test (SAT), serology, and molecular diagnostic approaches. Use of endoscopy is a pre-requisite for all invasive methods and poses difficulties in children as it is a difficult procedure and requires patient ’s cooperation. For this reason, the non-invasive tests have been commonly used in children, although their accuracy is not very reliable in some cases. Invasive tests may be opted to confirm the diagnosis as and when needed. This review presents the diagnostic tests used to detectH. pylori infection in children.
Source: European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases - Category: Microbiology Source Type: research