<i>Helicobacter pylori</i> Infection (<i>Hp</i>) among Children in the Northern Benin in 2018

Background: Hp infection is the most common chronic bacterial infection in developing countries and is contracted especially in childhood where it remains silent.Because of its involvement in the genesis of certain cancers, the WHO has classified Hp in the category of carcinogen class I.The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Hp infection among children from a District in Northern Benin, and to identify the factors associated with it.Patients and methods: This scientific investigation is a cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical study based on a prospective collection of data carried out from July to September 2018.Recruitment was probabilistic; it was based on the WHO cluster sampling technique implemented among children aged 3 to 10 years without recent history of antibiotic treatment and proton pump inhibitors.Hp infection was diagnosed during the search for bacteria antigen in the feces through a quick Elisa test which proved positive.Results: We included 250 children in the study.Among them, 151 (60.4%) had Hp infection.79 (52.3%) out of the 151 infected children were female, i.e. a sex ratio of 0.91.Mean age for those infected children was 6 ± 2.3 years.Among the 151 children infected with Hp, 98 (64.9%) were asymptomatic.Factors associated with that infection were: children's age > 5 years (p = 0.0461), use of contaminated drinking water (p = 0.0001), meals away from home (p = 0.0039), mothers' low educational status (p = 0.0137) and low monthly income (p = 0.0116) as well as household size > 3 (p = 0.0002).Conclusion: Hp infection is common among children aged 3 to 10 years in Northern Benin.Often asymptomatic, it is facilitated and exacerbated by unsanitary conditions and low socioeconomic status.