Gut Liver.  2013 Nov;7(6):648-654.

Seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori Infection in Korean Health Personnel

• Kim HY
• Kim N
• Kim SM
• Seo JH
• Park EH
• Lee DH

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS
The aims of this study were to evaluate whether doctors and nurses in a single hospital were at an increased risk of acquiring Helicobacter pylori infection in 2011 and to identify risk factors for H. pylori seroprevalence.
METHODS
Nurses (n=362), doctors (n=110), health personnel without patient contact (medical control, n=179), and nonhospital controls (n=359) responded to a questionnaire during a health check-up, which included questions on socioeconomic status, education level, working years, and occupation in 2011. The prevalence of H. pylori was measured by serology.
RESULTS
The seroprevalence rate was 29.8% (nurses), 34.5% (doctors), 30.7% (medical control), and 52.9% (nonhospital control). Among younger subjects (<40 years of age), the nonhospital control had a higher seropositivity rate (48.1%) than nurses (29.2%), doctors (29.8%), and the medical control (24.8%), which was not observable in subjects > or =40 years of age. The risk factors for H. pylori seroprevalence were not different for health and nonhealth personnel. A multivariate analysis indicated that seropositivity significantly increased with age, the province of residence, and a gastroscopic finding of a peptic ulcer.
CONCLUSIONS
The medical occupation was not associated with H. pylori infection. The seroprevalence of H. pylori in one hospital in 2011 was found to be 38.7%, most likely due to the improvement in socioeconomic status and hospital hygiene policy in Korea.

Keyword

Helicobacter pylori; Serology; Prevalence; Health personnel

MeSH Terms

Administrative Personnel
Adult
Age Factors
Antibodies, Bacterial/*blood
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Helicobacter Infections/blood/*epidemiology
Helicobacter pylori/*immunology
Humans
Male
Medical Staff, Hospital
Middle Aged
Nursing Staff, Hospital
*Occupational Health
Peptic Ulcer/epidemiology
*Personnel, Hospital
Pharmacists
Prevalence
Republic of Korea/epidemiology
Residence Characteristics
Risk Factors
Seroepidemiologic Studies
Time Factors
Young Adult
Antibodies, Bacterial