Prevalence of dyspepsia at in preschool and school age children attending day care centers

Hypothesis: Childhood is the time of high risk for H. pylori acquisition. Aims: To examine the freq uency of uppe r GI symptoms and its relationship with H. pylori infection in children attending day care centers. Methods: Child ren from 10 licen sed day care centers serving low socioeconomic families from different locat ions in Houst on were studied. Demographic inform ation and socio economic factors were eva luated including parent(s) educational level, place of res idence. living conditions. The diagnosis of dyspepsia was based on the mother s ref,0rt ing of the presence of um symptoms. Hp status was dete rmined by I C UBT. Result s: 489 blacks and white Hispanic children, 246 boys and 243 girls. between the ages of 2 and 16 years partici pated. The crude pre valence of dyspeptic symptoms was 14% with no difference between age groups (16% for children younger than six years old vs. 13% for children between the ages of II and 16 years) (p= 0.7). The prevalence of dyspepsia amo ng Black and Hispanic children was similar (13% vs. 17%, respectively, p=0.2) and it was almost identica l in boys (14%) and girls (15%) (P = 0.8). Act ive H. pylori infection was found in 25% overall; the prevalence increased with age (from 14% for children youn ger than six years old to 45% for children between the ages of II and 16 years) . There was no difference in Hp positivity among child ren with or without dyspepsia (26% vs. 25% ; respectively). While there was an inverse correlation betwe en the mother's education and Hp positivity in children (OR= 6.3 , (95% CI = 2.6 to 16.7, p< O.OOI) . There was no association between mother' s educational level and dyspeptic symptoms amo ng children. Conclusions: The result s of the study showed no sig nificant associ ation between Hp infec tion and dyspeptic symptoms. However, dyspept ic symptoms are frequently present among children in the community and community-base d studies on children for development and eva luatio n of scales for the measurements of dyspepsia are needed.