-Original-

Helicobacter pylori Infection among Patients Visiting a Clinic in Kasama City, Ibaraki Prefecture

Nagamitsu Iso^1,2, Takeshi Matsuhisa² and Kazuo Shimizu³

¹Iso Clinic
²Department of Gastroenterology, Tama-Nagayama Hospital, Nippon Medical School
³Department of Surgery II, Nippon Medical School

We examined Helicobacter pylori infection in patients who visited the Iso Clinic (Kasama City, Ibaraki Prefecture) with abdominal complaints, and determined the prevalence of H. pylori infection by age, sex, endoscopic diagnosis, abdominal complaint, gastric mucosa, and living environment. Peptic ulcer disease was observed in 23.2% of the patients examined with endoscopy, but there was no association between abdominal complaints and the prevalence of H. pylori infection. The prevalence of H. pylori infection was high among patients with peptic ulcer disease and atrophic gastritis. The prevalence of H. pylori infection was higher in the generation born before the start of the period of rapid economic growth (71.5%) than in the generation born afterward (64.8%). No significant difference was observed between males and females. The prevalence of H. pylori infection was high in those who drank well water during childhood and those who were raised in a house with a nonflushing of toilet (67.2% and 67.5%, respectively). There were no associations with river basin of residence, alcohol consumption, or smoking. The prevalence of H. pylori infection among patients who visited Iso Clinic was higher than that among patients seen at Tama-Nagayama Hospital, Nippon Medical School (Tama City, Tokyo). The difference is attributable to the higher prevalence of H. pylori infection in the elderly.

J Nippon Med Sch 2005; 72: 341-354

Keywords
Helicobacter pylori, Kasama City, well water, basin, non-flushing of toilet

Correspondence to
Nagamitsu Iso, Iso Clinic, 2272 Inada, Kasama City, Ibaraki 309-1635, Japan
isoiin@crocus.ocn.ne.jp

Received, July 7, 2005
Accepted, September 13, 2005