Research Article
Screening and Treatment for Helicobacter pylori Infection in Teenagers in Japan
Taiji Akamatsu1,2*, Hiroyuki Uehara1, Takumaro Okamura2, Yugo Iwaya2, Tomoaki Suga21Endoscopy Center, Nagano Prefectural Suzaka Hospital, Nagano Prefectural Hospital Organization, Suzaka, Nagano, Japan
2Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan
- Corresponding Author:
- RTaiji Akamatsu
Endoscopy Center, Nagano Prefectural Suzaka Hospital
1332 Suzaka, Suzaka, Nagano, 382-0091, Japan
Tel: 81-26-245-1650
Fax: 81-26-248-3240
E-mail: akamatsu-taiji@pref-nagano-hosp.jp
Received Date: July 04, 2016; Accepted Date: July 15, 2016; Published Date: July 22, 2016
Citation: Akamatsu T, Uehara H, Okamura T, Iwaya Y, Suga T (2016) Screening and Treatment for Helicobacter pylori Infection in Teenagers in Japan. J Gastroint Dig Syst 6:454. doi:10.4172/2161-069X.1000454
Copyright: © 2016 Akamatsu T, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
To elucidate the prevalence and effect of H. pylori infection in Japanese teenagers, we underwent an examination and treatment of it in one high school health screening between 2007 and 2015. The study subjects were students ages 16 to 17. Students who tested positive on this screening using urine-based rapid test kits (RUPIRAN®) examination visited Shinshu University Hospital and underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and were taken biopsy samples to determine their H. pylori status using culture and histology. Cure of H. pylori infections was determined by urea breath test. For 9 years, 4,297 of 4,312 students (99.7%) received a screening examination for H. pylori infection. One hundred and sixty-two of 4,297 students (3.8%) were positive for H. pylori. Ninety-three of these 162 with H. pylori-positive students visited our hospital, and 91 underwent EGD and 78 (85.7%) were confirmed to be H. pylori infected. The most common endoscopic findings for H. pylori infection were nodular gastritis (80.8%) and closed-type atrophic gastritis (61.5%). A scar from duodenal ulcer was recognized in 6 of them (7.7%), and intestinal metaplasia was histologically present in two. All 78 students with H. pylori infection and their parents agreed to receive eradication therapy using regimens according to the susceptibility of H. pylori. Finally, all except 3 were successfully cured of H. pylori infection. Remaining 3 students have not yet been assessed the decision of H. pylori infection. If this procedure were to be introduced into nationwide health screening at Japanese high schools, we calculated that the cost of the prevention of a gastric cancer would be 495,958 yen (4,508.71dollars) for each person. The low rate of prevalence of H. pylori infection in present Japanese teenagers would make it possible to perform the screening examination and treatment for this infection in nationwide health screening of high school students in the way that is practical and feasible.