PREVALENCE OF HELICOBACTER PYLORI INFECTION AMONG GASTROENTEROLOGISTS AND GASTROENDOSCOPISTS IN BRAZIL.

Abstract

Background: Most Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infections are acquired in childhood. It remains uncertain whether gastroenterologists involved in endoscopic procedures face an increased occupational risk of H. pylori.

Objective: To determine H. pylori prevalence among gastroenterologists and gastroendoscopists in Brazil.

Methods: A prospective, observational, non-interventional study was conducted during the 2022 Brazilian Digestive Disease Week meeting. Attendees were invited to undergo a 13C-urea breath test (UBT) to investigate their H. pylori status. The attendees completed a questionnaire regarding their demographic data and information about medical specialties and activities (gastroenterology or gastroendoscopy). This study included 286 participants (160 women, 126 men; mean age, 42 years; SD, 13, range 25-83 years) agreed to participate. 13C-urea breath test: Before the study, all participants abstained from proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and H2 blockers for 1 week, and antibiotics for four weeks. The test was performed after at least one-hour of fasting using the BreathID HP Lab System® (Exalenz Bioscience, Israel, now Meridian Bioscience, USA), with a delta over baseline (DOB) ≥5‰ indicated H. pylori infection.

Results: Among the 286 study participants, 218 tested negative and 68 tested positive with an overall prevalence of 23.8%. If we excluded all 67 participants who reported prior treatment for HP infection (54 HP-ve and 13 HP+ve) from the analysis of our sample, our sample of 219 participants presented a current prevalence of 25.1% (55 HP+ve and 164 HP-ve). The HP prevalence among participants who did or did not perform endoscopic procedures in their daily activities was 28.4% and 23.2%, respectively, with no statistically significant difference (P=0.39).

Conclusion: The prevalence of H. pylori infection among Brazilian gastroenterologists is moderate, with one in four professionals still infected. H. pylori infection prevalence increases with age and is higher among overweight and obese individuals. Performing endoscopic procedures does not appear to increase the risk of infections among gastroenterologists in Brazil.