TITLE:
Comparative Analysis of Helicobacter pylori Infection Status in High Altitude and Plain Areas of China
AUTHORS:
Linjun Ying, Cheng Huang, Xiaoqin Liu
KEYWORDS:
Helicobacter pylori, Epidemiology, Cross-Sectional Study, Health Check-Up Population, Plateau, Plain
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.12 No.12,
December
4,
2024
ABSTRACT: Background: China has a high prevalence of HP infection, and the rate of HP infection in highland populations is higher than the average rate of HP infection in natural populations. However, there is a lack of comparative studies on the current status of HP infection in high- and low-altitude. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the current status and differences in HP infection between the health check-up populations in the highland region and the plain area. Methods: This is a multicenter cross-sectional study, using convenience sampling method, which included the health check-up population of Ruoergai County People’s Hospital and the health check-up population of Deyang City People’s Hospital from January 2023 to December 2023, to carry out the questionnaire survey of HP-related factors, and to detect HP infection by a 13C-urea breath test. Results: The number of positives was 144 out of 260 health checkups in the plateau region, with a detection rate of 55.4%, which was significantly higher than that of 29.8% in the plains (P H. pylori infection-positive population, the health checkups in the plateau group had a lower education level, a higher proportion of overweight and obesity, a higher proportion of frequent smokers, a higher frequency of frequent eating out, and a lower proportion of abnormalities of uric acid, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and direct bilirubin but a higher proportion of abnormalities of total bilirubin. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of age, gender, history of alcohol consumption, family history, urea, creatinine, and blood glucose. Conclusion: Preliminary results indicate that the rate of HP infection in the plateau population is significantly higher than that in the plains, and HP-related health education should be strengthened in the plateau region.