Serological Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori Infection in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, in 2010

Epidemiological studies from different countries have shown a steady decline of the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection. In order to investigate the current seroprevalence of H. pylori infection in the area of Magdeburg, a city of the former East Germany, H. pylori antibodies of patients presenting in our emergency wards were analyzed. In total, 2,318 patients (1,181 males and 1,137 females) enrolled between September 2009 and August 2010 were tested for immunoglobulin G (IgG) against H. pylori and anti-CagA antibodies by specific enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Patients with either anti-H. pylori IgG or anti-CagA antibodies were classified as H. pylori positive, whereas the lack of both antibodies led to the assignment of an H. pylori-negative status. The overall seroprevalence of H. pylori infection was 44.4% (n = 1,029 out of 2,318) and did not differ in relation to sex. The proportion of CagA-positive samples was 43.3% of all H. pylori-positive individuals (446 out of 1,029). The seroprevalence showed a birth cohort effect (0 to 20 years of age, 14.6%; 21 to 30 years, 22.4%; 31 to 40 years, 40.6%; 41 to 50 years, 45.5%; 51 to 60 years, 50.8%) up to the age of 60, while it remained between 40.7% and 50.5% for the following decades. Patients younger than 30 years were significantly less H. pylori positive (21.1%) than those older than 30 years of age (47.7%; P < 0.01), whereas CagA status was similar (44.3 versus 43.3%). Notably, young women (<30 years old) had significantly higher CagA positivity (59.3%) than corresponding men (32.5%; P = 0.016). Taken together, seroprevalence of H. pylori infection shows a significant drop in subjects born after 1980 in Saxony-Anhalt but still remains in the range of 40 to 50% in subjects born earlier.