Helicobacter pylori infection and iron deficiency in teenage females in New Zealand
Alan G Fraser, Robert Scragg, David Schaaf, Patricia Metcalf, Cameron C Grant
Iron deficiency is an important problem in New Zealand children and young adults. A previous study of 8 Auckland high schools showed that 18.3% of girls had iron deficiency. This study assessed the potential role of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a bacterium that can infect the stomach, in causing iron deficiency. 792 female students (median age 16 years) from 7 Auckland high schools had H. pylori serology and tests for iron deficiency. The prevalence of positive H. pylori serology was highest for Pacific Island students (49.0%), intermediate for Maori (26.7%) and Asian (24.7%) and lowest for European (13.7%). Positive H. pylori serology was associated with increased risk of iron deficiency (RR 1.20) (after adjusting for age, ethnicity and school SES decile). This study indicates that H. pylori infection is associated with iron deficiency and should be considered as a possible cause when iron deficiency is diagnosed. This study also confirms the significant public health issue of H. pylori infection particularly for Pacific Islanders who will carry a burden of upper gastrointestinal disease into coming decades, causing both peptic ulceration and gastric cancer, because of high rates of H. pylori infection.