Helicobacter pylori infection in children with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) in Lithuania

Abstract

Introduction. Worldwide the incidence of IBD is increasing. 25 percent of patients are with established disease in childhood. Despite significant advances in understanding the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the etiology remains elusive. A commonly considered hypothesis isa trinity of overlapping factors; susceptible genotype leading to an inappropriate immune response to bacterial microbiota within the gut. Since the mid-1990s, an increasing number of studies have investigated the association between H. pylori infectios and IBD (Logan, 1998; Loftus, 2004; Gisbert 2008; Thia at al., 2008). Epidemiologic data suggest a protective effect of H. pylori infection against the development of autoimmune disease. Laboratory data illustrate H. pylori's ability to induce immune tolerance and limit inflammatory responses. The etiology of the low prevalence of H. pylori infection in patients with IBD is largely unknown. On the other hand, the prevalence of H. pylori infection in children decreased significantly (till 1-5%) in developed countries during the last decades. [...].