Abstract:

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in asthmatic and healthy children without gastrointestinal complaints and its effect on respiratory function test, asthma severity and control level. METHODS: From March 2008 to April 2009, 70 asthmatic patients aged 6-14 years without dispeptic complaints were included in the study group; 70 children matching in terms of age, gender and sociodemographic characteristics and without chronic disease, asthma-allergy and dyspepsia symptoms were included in the control group. The asthma grading of patients with asthma were determined according to the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) criteria. Respiratory function tests were performed and H. pylori antigen was examined in the stool in all the cases. The average age was 115.7 ± 24.7 months. There was no significant difference in H. pylori infection rate between asthmatic and healthy groups (p=0,398). The rates of low socioeconomic level (p = 0,001), living in a crowded family (p = 0,001), living with many children (p = 0,001), community water use (p = 0,001), ulcer in family members (p = 0,043) were higher in children with H. pylori infection. In asthmatic group, 23 patients were mildly intermittent whereas 47 children were mildly persistent; it was also observed that 40 of them were partially controlled and that 30 of them were well-controlled. There was no significant difference in asthma grade, control level, and respiratory function test parameters (PEF and FEV1) in the asthmatic group with and without H. pylori infection. There was no significant difference of H. pylori infection in patients with and without allergic rhinitis. DISCUSION AND CONCLUSION: Our study showed that H. pylori infection was not more frequent in patients with asthma and allergic rhinitis, and that it didn’t have any effect on respiratory function test results, asthma severity and control level.

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