This study aimed to determine the prevalence of H. pylori infections among schoolchildren and investigate the associations between\nH. pylori seropositivity and existence of gastrointestinal symptoms. Methods. A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted\nduring a period from January to December 2012 at Kassala state, east of Sudan. Schoolchildren from different primary schools\nwere enrolled in the study. Sociodemographic characteristics and gastrointestinal symptoms were recorded from each child. A\nrapid immunochromatographic test was performed for the detection of H. pylori IgG antibodies. Data on patient demographic\ncharacteristics, clinical diagnosis, and findings of H. pylori infection were analyzed by simple descriptive statistics. Results. Among\n431 schoolchildren, H. pylori seropositivity was found to be 21.8%. The majority of children (79; 84%) had BMI below the normal\nrange. The most frequent symptoms associated with H. pylori infections were nausea (25.5%), followed by gastric pain (24.5%) and\nheart pain (20.2%). There were statistically significant differences in H. pylori seropositivity between boys and girls (
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