Prevalence and predictors of Helicobacter pylori infection in children and adults from the Penan ethnic minority of Malaysian Borneo

To determine the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori antigen carriage in stool in the Penan ethnic minority in Malaysian Borneo, we studied 295 Penans 0.6-89.0 years of age from 1) the remote Limbang Division, 2) Mulu regional center, and 3) Belaga village. Overall, 37.7% of the subjects tested positi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene Vol. 71; no. 4; p. 444
Main Authors:	Huang, Simon Siong Sing, Hassan, Abdul Karim Russ, Choo, Keng Ee, Ibrahim, Mohamad Iswandy, Davis, Timothy M E
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	United States 01-10-2004
Subjects:	Adolescent Adult Aged Aged, 80 and over Antigens, Bacterial - analysis Asian Continental Ancestry Group Borneo - epidemiology Borneo - ethnology Child Child, Preschool Feces - microbiology Female Helicobacter Infections - epidemiology Helicobacter Infections - ethnology Helicobacter Infections - microbiology Helicobacter pylori - isolation & purification Humans Infant Male Middle Aged Predictive Value of Tests Prevalence Borneo
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Summary:	To determine the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori antigen carriage in stool in the Penan ethnic minority in Malaysian Borneo, we studied 295 Penans 0.6-89.0 years of age from 1) the remote Limbang Division, 2) Mulu regional center, and 3) Belaga village. Overall, 37.7% of the subjects tested positive. Peak prevalence was reached by 10 years of age. There were no differences in age, sex, body mass index, and socioeconomic/domestic variables between antigen-positive and antigen-negative subjects. In a logistic regression analysis, subjects from Limbang were least likely to be antigen-positive (odds ratio [OR] = 0.23, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.12-0.44 versus other sites, P < 0.001). Availability of a flushing toilet was protective against H. pylori carriage (OR = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.27-0.95, P = 0.031). Infection with H. pylori among the Penan was less than reported in other low socioeconomic groups. The lowest prevalence in the most remote setting suggests that the infection has been a recent arrival in previously isolated communities.
ISSN:	0002-9637
DOI:	10.4269/ajtmh.2004.71.444