Helicobacter pylori infection prevalence and influencing factors in occupational populations in Shanghai

Background Research on Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection in occupational groups in China is relatively underdeveloped, and the relationships of HP infection with blood pressure, blood glucose, blood lipids, and pepsinogen are currently unclear.

Objective This study investigates the prevalence of HP infection in occupational populations in Shanghai and related influencing factors, aiming to provide a reference for the formulation of strategies to prevent HP infection in the occupational populations in Shanghai.

Methods The basic information and physical examination data, including age, gender, education, marital status, occupational category, blood pressure, blood glucose, blood lipids, pepsinogen, and HP, were collected from employees of various enterprises and institutions in Shanghai who ordered physical examinations at Huadong Sanatorium from January to December 2019. The positive rates of HP were estimated among the participants with selected demographic characteristics, and then the potential influencing factors of HP infection were evaluated by logistic regression analysis.

Results Among the 19 062 participants, there were 5 102 cases of HP positive with an overall positive rate of 26.8%. The positive rate of HP in males28.3% (3 406/12 026) was higher than that in females24.1% (1 696/7 036). The multiple logistic regression models showed that high blood pressure (OR=1.158, 95% CI: 1.073-1.249), high fasting glucose concentration (OR=1.142, 95% CI: 1.055-1.237), abnormal triglyceride concentration (OR=1.116, 95% CI: 1.037-1.201), and pepsinogen I/pepsinogen Ⅱ abnormalities (OR=7.863, 95% CI: 6.951-8.894) were all positively associated with HP infection risk; the risk of HP infection was reduced in the occupational population aged ≥ 52 years compared to those under 35 years of age (OR=0.848, 95%CI: 0.766-0.937), and the risk of HP infection in women (OR=0.799, 95%CI: 0.732-0.872) was lower than than that in men.

Conclusion The HP positive rate in the occupational populations in Shanghai is about 26.8%; blood pressure, blood glucose, blood lipids, pepsinogen, age, and gender are associated with HP infection.