Helicobacter Pylori Infection in Children with Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Background: Today Helicobacter pylori is the most common bacterial infection worldwide and is associated with some extra-gastrointestinal diseases such as blood disorders including idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Therefore, this study was designed and performed to determine the status of Helicobacter pylori infection in children with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura referred to Dr. Mohammad Kermanshahi Hospital in 2019. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 68 children with ITP were evaluated for Helicobacter pylori infection using stool antigen test. Information on Helicobacter pylori was collected using a checklist along with data on gender, age, type of ITP (acute / chronic), primary platelet counts, duration of ITP, and history of receiving treatment for H. pylori infection. Data were analyzed by SPSS-20 using descriptive statistics and the Chi-square test. Results: The mean age of all subjects was 6.35 +/- 3.44 years with an age range of 1 to 13 years. The mean duration of the disease was 9.73. +/- 9.04 months. Among patients, 63.24% (43 patients) were boys. Regarding the type of ITP, the highest percentage was the Acute type of disease (72/06%). Also, based on the analytical results, there was no significant relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and gender, mean duration of infection and type of ITP (P<0.05). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, half of the ITP patients had Helicobacter pylori infection, but there was no significant relationship between the type of ITP and its duration with Helicobacter pylori infection. Therefore, it is recommended to conduct similar studies with a larger sample size and perform follow-ups to achieve more accurate results.