prevalence of helicobacter pylori infection in asymptomatic children in birjand, eastern iran

background: helicobacter pylori is the cause of serious diseases including gastric cancer and gastric mucosa–associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma.50% of world population is infected by this microorganism and it -based on epidemiologic studies - is mainly acquired during childhood . there is not enough evidence about prevalence of this infection in children and its risk factors so encourage us to study on it.method : we tested 282 apparently healthy 9-12 year old students in a population based cross sectional study for helicobacter pylori colonization using h pylori antigen eia test kit (acon company).a short socio demographic questionnaire was used to assess risk factors.findings: the overall prevalence of h pylori colonization in 282 students is 13.1%. we found statistically significant relationship between h pylori colonization and sex, duration of breast feeding, and family crowding but there is not significant relationship with age , family history of dyspepsia , number of days in week consuming yogurt and economically stratified living region in present study.conclusion: helicobacter pylori is a big concern even in young asymptomatic children and it needs to be further studied about its potential risk factors and how to manage them for the goal of prevention.