• Amos Msekandiana, Levina Msuya, Rune Philemon, Blandina M'mbaga, and Grace Kinabo.
• Mzuzu Central Hospital, Pediatrics; Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Pediatrics.
• Afr Health Sci. 2019 Dec 1; 19 (4): 3208-3216.

BackgroundHelicobacter pylori frequently causes gastritis and peptic ulcers, and affected children are at risk of developing gastric carcinoma later in adulthood.MethodsThis was a Hospital based cross sectional study. A total of 200 children aged 6 months to 14 years were enrolled. Study subjects were tested for H. pylori using a standard serology rapid test measuring immunoglobulin G for H. pylori. For risk factors, Chi-square tests were used to test for association and then, odds ratios and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals and p-values were computed using logistic regression.ResultsThe overall seroprevalence of H. pylori was 11.5%. The following factors were associated with H. pylori infection: Age group above 10 years, keeping a dog and household size. The independent predictors of H. pylori were: Fathers' occupation, keeping a dog, indoor tap water, age group, household size and diabetes mellitus type 1..ConclusionThe seroprevalence of H. pylori antibodies was lower compared to most developing countries. Keeping a dog, household size, indoor tap water, fathers' occupation and diabetes mellitus type 1 were found to be independent predictors of presence of H. pylori antibodies.© 2019 Msekandiana et al.

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