ABSTRACT
Helicobacter pylori are strongly associated with chronic antral gastritis in children and as in adults with primary duodenal ulcer disease. Chronic gastritis in children is usually primary and associated with H. pylori colonization. Eradication of H. pylori from the gastric mucosa is associated with a healing of gastritis in children. The incidence of H. pylori- associated gastritis increases progressively with age. H. pylori colonization of the gastric mucosa is associated with gastric inflammation in both adults and children, but the inflammatory response differs. In view of the ongoing debate into the role of H. pylori in non-ulcer dyspepsia in adults, children could represent a vital group for studies that will discern whether or not H. pylori- associated gastritis is a symptomatic condition. Confirmation of H. pylori colonization of the gastric mucosa ultimately depends on obtaining a biopsy from the mucosa and detecting the organism by culture or microscopic examination.
