Nutritional Status of Children Infected with <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> with or Without Gastrointestinal Symptoms

Abstract

Background: Helicobacter pylori (Hp) is a Gram-negative bacterium that infects over half of the global population and is strongly linked to various gastrointestinal diseases, including peptic ulcers and malignancy. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate disparities in the nutritional status between pediatric patients with Hp infection (with or without gastrointestinal symptoms) and healthy children. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, 225 pediatric patients diagnosed with Hp infection at Baoding Hospital, Beijing Children’s Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University and successfully treated with triple therapy were enrolled as the study cohort and followed up for one year. Furthermore, the control cohort comprised 106 children in good health who underwent routine physical examinations at this hospital during the same timeframe. Serum levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 [25-(OH)D3], prealbumin (PA), hemoglobin (Hb), serum iron (SI), and serum ferritin (SF), along with weight and height, were measured in all participants. Results: Among the Hp-infected patients, 91 with gastrointestinal symptoms (cohort A) had significantly lower levels of all nutritional markers than both asymptomatic patients (cohort B, n = 134) and controls before eradication therapy (P < 0.05). No significant differences in height or weight were found among the groups. Notably, cohort B and the control cohort showed no significant differences in these nutritional markers. After one year of successful eradication, all nutritional markers in cohort A had normalized and showed no significant differences compared to the other groups. Conclusions: Helicobacter pylori-infected children with gastrointestinal symptoms had significant nutritional deficits compared to their asymptomatic and uninfected peers. Successful eradication therapy led to the normalization of these nutritional markers within one year.