Relationship between Helicobacter pylori Infection and Precancerous Lesions of Gastric Mucosa in Children in Central Plain Area of China

Background Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection induced precancerous lesions of gastric mucosa mostly in adulthood. However, it is debatable whether these pathological changes could also occur in children. Objective To investigate the relationship between H. pylori infection and precancerous lesions of gastric mucosa in children hospitalized due to upper gastrointestinal symptoms in central plain area of China. Methods A total of 1 015 children under the age of 18 years old were enrolled. These children attended the People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University for upper gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting, hiccups, and acid reflux from August 2018 to July 2021. All children underwent gastroscopy, from which gastric mucosal biopsy tissues were taken for rapid urease test and histopathological examination. The clinical and pathological data of the patients were collected retrospectively. The children were divided into infected and uninfected groups according to H. pylori infection status. The age, sex, endoscopic diagnosis, and H. pylori infection rate were compared between children in infected and uninfected groups. The incidence of precancerous lesions of gastric mucosa, inflammatory activity and the degree of inflammatory cell infiltration were compared between infected and uninfected groups, meanwhile these tests were also compared in children of different age groups. Results Among the 1 015 children, 854 (84.14%) were infected with H. pylori and 161 (15.86%) were not infected. H. pylori-infected children were significantly older than those of non-infected subjects (P