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Changes in the prevalence of dyspepsia and Helicobacter pylori infection after 17 years: The Sørreisa gastrointestinal disorder study

  • Gastro-Intestinal Diseases
  • Published:
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Abstract

Dyspepsia and Helicobacter pylori infection are two important public health issues in the field of gastroenterology, generating high expenditures in diagnosis and treatment. A causal relationship between H. pylori and dyspepsia is still debated. The aim of this study was to address changes in the prevalence of, and association between, dyspepsia and H. pylori infection in a general population. The study took place in the municipality of Sørreisa in Northern Norway. Data were collected in 1987 and 2004. The study included questionnaires on gastrointestinal disorders and risk factors, as well as H. pylori assessment. The prevalence of dyspepsia in 2004 was 31.9% in men and 31.7% in women (compared with 30.7 and 26.3% in 1987). In 2004, the prevalence of H. pylori infection in men with/without dyspepsia was 20.3/26.7% (compared with 47.0/32.7% in 1987), whereas the prevalence of H. pylori infection in women with/without dyspepsia was 31.3/20.8% (compared with 50.0/40.7% in 1987). Since 1987, the prevalence of H. pylori has decreased independently of dyspepsia, most pronounced in the younger age groups, thus indicating a cohort effect. Our findings of a decreasing prevalence of H. pylori, a persistently high prevalence of dyspepsia, and an uneven distribution of H. pylori infection with regard to dyspepsia in men and women, question the understanding of a causal relationship between dyspepsia and H. pylori.

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Abbreviations

CI:

Confidence interval

ELISA:

Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay

GEE:

Generalised estimating equations

GSRS:

Gastrointestinal symptoms rating scale

H. pylori :

Helicobacter pylori

κ:

Kappa

WHO:

World Health Organisation

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Acknowledgements

We thank the personnel at the Gastroenterology Unit, University Hospital of North Norway, for help in H. pylori antigen testing. The study was jointly funded by EXTRA funds from the Norwegian Foundation for Health and Rehabilitation, National Association for Digestive Diseases, Northern Norway Regional Health Authority and the University of Tromsø.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, 9037, Tromsø, Norway

    Anne Mette Asfeldt, Bjørn Straume, Maja-Lisa Løchen & Roar Johnsen

  2. Department of Medical Biology, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway

    Sonja Eriksson Steigen

  3. Department of Cardiology, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway

    Maja-Lisa Løchen

  4. Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway

    Jon Florholmen & Eyvind J. Paulssen

  5. Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway

    Jon Florholmen & Eyvind J. Paulssen

  6. Helgeland Hospital, Mo i Rana, Norway

    Bjørn Bernersen

  7. Department of Public Health and General Practice, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

    Roar Johnsen

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  1. Anne Mette Asfeldt
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  2. Bjørn Straume
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  8. Eyvind J. Paulssen
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Correspondence to Anne Mette Asfeldt.

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Asfeldt, A.M., Straume, B., Steigen, S.E. et al. Changes in the prevalence of dyspepsia and Helicobacter pylori infection after 17 years: The Sørreisa gastrointestinal disorder study. Eur J Epidemiol 23, 625–633 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-008-9275-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-008-9275-x

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