Assessing the association between H. pylori infection and educational status: implications for screening strategies?

Abstract

Background: H. pylori is a common bacterial infection that can cause gastritis, peptic ulcers, and cancer. The distribution of H. pylori infection is not uniform and can vary based on socio-economic factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between H. pylori infection and educational status in Central Europe. If the prevalence of H. pylori infection was found to be exceptionally high in one particular educational stratum, then systematic screening in this population group could be a sensible strategy.

Methods: Participants were included from the Salzburg Colon Cancer Prevention Initiative (Sakkopi) cohort, consisting of 5313 asymptomatic Austrian patients. Clinical and laboratory parameters and the biopsy proven presence of H. pylori during an esophagoduodenoscopy were obtained, and patients' educational status was categorized into lower (38%), medium (54%), and higher (9%) education. Logistic regression models were fitted to evaluate the relationship between H. pylori infection and educational status.

Results: Compared to patients with lower educational status (21%), patients with medium (17%) and higher (15%) educational status were less often infected with H. pylori (P<0.001). This association remained after adjustment for age, sex, and concomitant diagnosis of metabolic syndrome in multivariable logistic regression models. Sensitivity analysis showed lower odds for H. pylori infection with both medium and higher education in most strata.

Conclusions: We discovered a statistically significant association between low educational status and an elevated risk for H. pylori infection. Nonetheless, the absolute difference is not enough to advocate for partially population-based screening in a specific education status group. As a result, we believe that the information linking low educational attainment to higher H. pylori prevalence should primarily be taken into account in clinical decision-making, but should not replace the existing testing approach for H. pylori, which is based on clinical reasoning and symptoms.