Relation between infection with Helicobacter pylori and living conditions in childhood: Evidence for person to person transmission in early life

Objectives: To relate the prevalence of infection with Helicobacter pylori in adults to their living conditions in childhood to indentify risk factors for infection. Design: Prevalence study of IgG antibodies to H pylori (>10 μg IgG/ml, determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)) and reported living conditions and other socioeconomic factors in childhood. Setting: Three factories in Stoke on Trent. Subjects: 471 male volunteers aged 18 to 65 years. Main outcome measures: Seroprevalence and variables in childhood. Results: Seroprevalence of H pylori increased with age (22/74 (29.7%) a