Seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori in female Vietnamese immigrants to Korea

AIM: To investigate the seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and its relationship to nutritional factors in female Vietnamese immigrants to Korea. METHODS: A total of 390 female immigrants from Vietnam and 206 Korean male spouses participated in the study. Blood samples from 321 female immigrants and 201 Korean male spouses were analyzed for H. pylori antibodies. Data on age, sex, alcohol consumption, smoking status, dietary nutritional factors and gastrointestinal symptoms were collected using questionnaires. The daily intakes of the following nutrients were estimated: energy, protein, niacin, lipid, fiber, calcium, iron, sodium, potassium, zinc, folate, cholesterol, and vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, C and E. RESULTS: The prevalence of H. pylori positivity was lower in the immigrants than in age-matched Korean females (55.7% vs 71.4%, respectively; P < 0.0001) and the domestic population of Vietnam. The prevalence of H. pylori positivity among married couples was 31.7% for both spouses. There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of smoking, amount of alcohol consumed, or nutritional factors between the H. pylori-positive and negative groups. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of H. pylori positivity was lower among female Vietnamese immigrants than among Korean females. Nutritional factors did not differ between the H. pylori-positive and negative groups.