The impact of sex, age, and season on the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in Lithuania

The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of H. pylori infection in adult patients in Kaunas, Lithuania, and to assess the dependence of H. pylori infection on sex, age, and seasonality. A total of 5799 patients were tested for the presence of H. pylori by ELISA. Three different tests were used: IgA and IgG antibodies against H. pylori from blood serum and antigens of H. pylori from faeces. The results revealed that the frequency of H. pylori infection varied depending on the test (31.8% for IgG, 16.7% for IgA, and 22.9% for antigens test). No significant association between sex, season, and the prevalence of H. pylori was observed. However, our findings indicate a significant increase in the prevalence of H. pylori infection with age. This study is the first report about the impact of sex, age, and season on the prevalence of H. pylori infection in Lithuania.