Background: Chronic abdominal pain, which is defined as long-term or intermittent abdominal pain, is a common problem in children. Helicobacter pylori infection is acquired in childhood and is one of the important causes of peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and stomach cancer, so this study was conducted with the aim of investigating the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in children with chronic abdominal pain referred to Imam Hospital in 1402.
Methods: This study is descriptive-cross-sectional and the statistical population of children with chronic abdominal pain referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ilam city in 1402 was tested for Helicobacter bacteria. Helicobacter pylori was checked using stool antigen test.
Results: This study was conducted on 140 children with chronic abdominal pain with an average age of 7.06 years in the age range of 2-16 years, the majority of children living in Ilam city were boys. The type of feeding was reported in all children as regular, and the majority of them were the result of cesarean delivery (67.9%). The prevalence of 40.7% showed HP positivity in children with chronic abdominal pain. The majority of children in the age group of 4-8 years had Helicobacter pylori positive, 20 people (35.7%) and in children older than 12 years, Helicobacter pylori had the lowest frequency. The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori was reported more in girls than in boys, and among the studied cities it was the highest. The outbreak was in the city of Ilam. There was no difference between the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori with age, sex, place of residence and type of delivery.
Conclusion: The general results of our study show that Helicobacter pylori is an important factor for chronic abdominal pain in children, but factors such as sex, place of residence and type of delivery do not affect its prevalence. It is suggested that in future studies, the family history, parents' infection with Helicobacter pylori and its relationship with transmission to the child should be measured.
