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Seroprevalences ofHelicobacter pylori infection and chronic atrophic gastritis in the united Republic of Tanzania and the Dominican Republic

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Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine Aims and scope

Abstract

Objective

The aim of this survey was to compare the seroprevalences ofHelicobacter Pylori (H. pylori) and chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) in Tanzania and the Dominican Republic, both of which are tropical countries, and thereafter compare the prevalences in Tanzania and the Dominican Republic with prevalences from our previous studies done in Japan (1991) and China (1996/97).

Methods

Community-based study in which 573 inhabitants of Tanzania and 1,215 inhabitants of the Dominican Republic answered detailed questionnaires on upper digestive tract diseases, and then underwent screening for gastric cancer by serum pepsinogen and testing for antibody toH. pylori.

Results

After adjusting to the ‘Age-Standardized Rate’ (ASR) using the world population in 1995, the seroprevalences ofH. pylori infection in male and female subjects for Tanzania (m=85.3% & f=88.2%) were very high compared to those for the Dominican Republic (m=63.5% & f=62.4%) and Japan (m=62.0% & f=46.8%), and similar to those of China (m=78.0% & f=77.3%). Also, the agestandardized prevalences of CAG in males and females for Tanzania (m-0.237& f=0.458). were higher than those of the Dominican Republic (m=0.168 & f=0.211) and China (m=0.111 & f=0.107) and compared well with those of Japan (m=0.266 & f=0.352).

Conclusions

Although Tanzania and the Dominican Republic are both developing countries, Tanzania had a very high age-standardized prevalence ofH. pylori and CAG compared to that of the Dominican Republic, which showed a trend similar to that of Japan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Human Environmental and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, 879-5593, Hasama, Oita, Japan

    Kazuo Aoki, Paul E. Kihaile & Junichi Misumi

  2. Department of Public Health, Japan-Dominican Republic Amity Medical Education Center, The Dominicant Republic

    Mercedes Castro & Mildre Disla

  3. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences, The United Republic of Tanzania

    Thomas B. Nyambo

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  1. Kazuo Aoki
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  2. Paul E. Kihaile
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  3. Mercedes Castro
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  4. Mildre Disla
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  5. Thomas B. Nyambo
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  6. Junichi Misumi
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Correspondence to Kazuo Aoki.

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Aoki, K., Kihaile, P.E., Castro, M. et al. Seroprevalences ofHelicobacter pylori infection and chronic atrophic gastritis in the united Republic of Tanzania and the Dominican Republic. Environ Health Prev Med 9, 170–175 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02898097

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02898097

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