Investigation of the Prevalence of Anti-Helicobacter pylori Antibodies in the Azerbaijani Population of Iran

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVESHelicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a widespread pathogenic agent that often invades gastric mucosa epithelial cells. Invasion of this dominant bacterial species of stomach can induce mucosal cellular immunity and local and systemic humoral immunity. Hence, it is possible to identify common H. pylori infection by assessing host immune responses as a non-invasive method. In this research we aimed to detect the abundance of serum immunoglobulin (Ig) G, IgM and IgA and their association with the age and gender of participents from children to adults in Tabriz, Iran.MATERIALS AND METHODSBetween ۲۰۱۹-۲۰۲۲, venous serum samples of ۳۷۳۳ normal participants (۱۲۳۵ males, ۲۴۹۸ females) were collected for immunodiagnosis of H pylori infection. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method was used to detect the antibody groups. The statistical data was analyzed by SPSS software.RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONAccording to comparison results, the prevalence of IgG in ۱۹۴۹ individuals (۵۷.۹%), IgA in ۸۳ individuals (۱۱.۶%), and IgM in ۸ (۰.۳%) participants were reported positive. In terms of seropositivity, females were the significant target group for only IgM. While for both IgA and IgG, the number of seropositive males was predominant with a non-significant difference. Moreover, a significant correlation was observed between ageing and positive prevalence of IgG, IgM and IgA antibodies in biosamples. In some age subgroups, gender was also a remarkable factor for evaluating the prevalence of serum indicators such as IgG and IgM.CONCLUSIONSimilar to most cities in Iran, there is an unstable situation in the capital of East Azerbaijan province against H. pylori infection. Out of three immunoglobulin groups, IgG had the highest serum prevalence among our study population. Also, adult age groups were more at risk of H. pylori infection. Due to the growing prevalence of this pathogen, it is necessary to pay attention to infection control programs of developed countries and promoting basic health education.

کلیدواژه ها:

anti-Helicobacter pylori antibodies ، serological assay ، stomach inflammation ، Tabriz