Helicobacter pylori in First Nations and recent immigrant populations in Canada

• Main Authors: MD Nicola L Jones, MD Naoki Chiba, MD Carlo Fallone, MD Alan Thomson, Richard Hunt, M B Frcpc, MD Kevan Jacobson, Karen Goodman, Phd, Dr Nicola L Jones
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Canada; First Nations
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.1082.4862; http://downloads.hindawi.com/journals/cjgh/2012/174529.pdf

C anadian Aboriginals and recent immigrants are among populations in which the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection remains high; hence, the health risks imposed by H pylori remain a significant concern. Therefore, The Canadian Helicobacter Study Group held a conference in October 2010, which brought together experts in the fields of adult and pediatric gastroenterology, microbiology, pathology, epidemiology, Aboriginal health and community health. The focus of the conference was to review the health risks of H pylori infection in at-risk populations as well as the potential health benefits of adopting an eradication strategy in these at-risk populations. Relevant data focusing on these topics was presented, and followed by discussion in which the existing data were reviewed and critiqued. The meeting was recorded, and the content, discussion and conclusions generated from the meeting were then summarized by the authors of the manuscript followed by input from all of the participants (Appendix). H pylori is a Gram-negative bacterium that typically colonizes the mucin layer of the gastric mucosal epithelium (1). At one time, it is likely that H pylori infected the majority of the human population (2). Infection is strongly correlated with human crowding and poor sanitation (3). The prevalence of infection has diminished markedly over the past several decades in Canada, as in most other industrialized countries, but can be found in up to 80% of the population in some developing nations (4). The overall prevalence of H pylori infection in Canada appears to be in the range of 20% to 30% (5,6); however, reports from specific subsets of the population indicate substantial variability. In children, who typically have a lower risk of H pylori infection than adults, the prevalence rate was only 7.1% in patients referred to a tertiary care centre for upper gastrointestinal symptoms (7). The median age in these patients was 11.7 years, with a range of five to 17.6 years. Conversely, the prevalence in a First Nations ...