Seroepidemiology of Helicobacter pylori infection in Guadeloupe

Gastric Cancer Incidence and Mortality in French Guiana: South American or French?

PURPOSE

Gastric cancer is a frequent cancer in the tropics. The objective was to review a decade of gastric cancer data, and to study its spatial and temporal trends.

METHODS

The cancer registry of French Guiana compiled exhaustive data on gastric cancer throughout French Guiana between 2005 and 2014. Age-standardized incidence and mortality rates were computed.

RESULTS

With 187 new cases recorded, gastric cancer ranked 6th (4.3%). It was more frequent in men than in women. The median age at diagnosis was 62 years for men and 65 years for women. The incidence rate standardized to the world population over the period 2005-2014 was 14.3 cases of gastric cancer per 100,000 man-years and 7.3 per 100,000 woman-years. The death rate from gastric cancer, standardized to the world population over the period 2005-2014, was 8.6 deaths from gastric cancer per 100,000 man-years and 3.4 per 100,000 women-years. These measures were lower than what is reported in Latin America, similar to Martinique and Guadeloupe-two tropical French territories-and higher than in France.

CONCLUSIONS

Gastric cancer affected more males and the median age was younger than in France. Standardized incidence and mortality rates for gastric cancer in French Guiana were between those of France and those of Latin America, and they were comparable to those of the French West Indies. The downward trend in a context of rapid economic growth suggests further gains that could be achieved by improving electricity, water, and sanitation coverage throughout the territory despite challenging geography, and better access to care and Helicobacter pylori eradication.

[Systematic review of the impact of chlordecone on human health in the French West Indies]

INTRODUCTION

Several publications have highlighted the adverse effects of chlordecone on human and animal species. The possible long-term consequences continue to be explored as chlordecone still contaminates Caribbean soils. The objective of this literature review is to determine the long-term effects of chlordecone on human health.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

We searched for the keyword "chlordecone" on different scientific databases: Medline®, ISI Web of Knowledge, Google Scholar, EM Premium. We have enriched our research with first degree references, related articles on PubMed and grey literature.

RESULTS

Of the 192 articles analyzed, 12 responded to the impact of chlordecone on human health in the French West Indies. In obstetrics, exposure to chlordecone was associated with a lower incidence of gestational hypertension. In pediatrics, these studies have shown an association between prenatal exposure to chlordecone and increased risk of prematurity, decreased birth weight (especially when the mother gained excessive weight during pregnancy), decreased fine cognitive and motor acquisition, and changes in circulating concentrations of certain thyroid hormones. In oncology, exposure was associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer, particularly if there was a family history of prostate cancer.

CONCLUSION

While the effects of acute exposure to chlordecone at high doses are well described (Kepone Shake syndrome at the time of the Hopewell accident), the effects at environmental doses are becoming clearer even if they remain complex to identify.

Anemia and Helicobacter pylori seroreactivity in a rural Haitian population

Anemia is a significant health concern worldwide and can be the result of nutritional, environmental, social, and infectious etiologies. We estimated the prevalence of anemia in 336 pre-school children and 132 adults in the rural Central Plateau of Haiti and assessed associations with age, sex, household size, water source, sanitation, and Helicobacter pylori seroreactivity using logistic regression analysis; 80.1% (269/336) of children and 63.6% (84/132) of adults were anemic. Among children, younger age was associated with increased prevalence of anemia (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 4.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.5-11.1 for children 6-11 months compared with children 48-59 months). Among adults, 50.8% were H. pylori-seropositive, and seropositivity was inversely associated with anemia (aOR = 0.4, 95% CI = 0.2-0.9). Anemia prevalence in this region of Haiti is very high and not attributable to sanitary conditions or a high prevalence of H. pylori infection.

Cancer incidence in Martinique: a model of epidemiological transition

In this paper, we present data from the Martinique Cancer Registry for the period 1981-2000 and interpret cancer incidence trends in the light of risk factor patterns. In Martinique, cancer data are available from 1981. The sources of information are represented by insurance records, medical evacuations, hospitals and laboratory files. We performed a Mantel-Haenszel chi test stratified on age in order to assess time trends and to compare incidence rates between men and women over the whole period. A total of 8992 incidents of cancer cases were recorded during the last 20 years among men and 6832 in women. (The overall age-standardized incidence rate is 222 per 10 person-years for men and 145 per 10 person-years for women.) The most common cancers are prostate cancer in men (104 per 10 person-years) and breast cancer in women (42 per 10 person-years). Except for thyroid and salivary gland cancer, men experienced higher incidence rates for all other cancers. Incidence of prostate cancer in men, breast cancer in women and colorectal cancer in both sexes strongly increased between 1981-1990 and 1991-2000, whereas no significant variation was observed for that of all digestive cancers together. Among women, cervical cancer incidence strongly decreased. These results demonstrate that Martinique tends to have the same cancer risk profile as France Mainland with, however, higher incidence rates for cervical, stomach and prostate cancer. Changes in lifestyle and greater accessibility to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, in particular screening, have strongly contributed to the 'epidemiological transition' observed.

The relationship of Helicobacter pylori positivity with age, sex, and ABO/Rhesus blood groups in patients with gastrointestinal complaints in Turkey

BACKGROUND

To determine the magnitude of Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with gastrointestinal complaints in Turkey.

METHODS

We studied 1680 patients with variable gastrointestinal complaints. The H. pylori infection status was determined using C-14 urea breath test (UBT). Overall, 1567 patients (548 male, 1019 female; age range 4-80 years, mean 29.37 +/- 17.30 years) were included in this study. The relationship between H. pylori positivity and age, sex, sociodemographic characteristic, blood groups, and gastrointestinal diagnosis was determined.

RESULTS

H. pylori positivity was found to be 68%. The difference in positivity rates between age groups 4-9 years and other groups was statistically significant (p = .001). H. pylori positivity was 67.7% in males and 68.2% in females (p = .865). H. pylori positivity was 72.1, 65.1, 70, and 68.4% in blood groups A, B, AB, and O (p = .703), and 68.9% and 76.3% in Rh (+) and Rh (-) blood subgroups, respectively (p = .292). There was no statistically significant difference between H. pylori positivity and gastrointestinal diagnosis (p = .980). There was significant association between increased number of household members and low socioeconomic status, and H. pylori positivity (p < .001). Living in rural and suburban area was significantly associated with H. pylori positivity compared with living in urban.

CONCLUSIONS

H. pylori infection positivity rate was 68% in symptomatic subjects in Turkey and the positivity rate was significantly lower at age 4-9 years than the other age groups. It was not related to gender, ABO, and Rh blood groups and gastrointestinal diagnosis. Low socioeconomic conditions and living in rural and suburban area were significantly associated with H. pylori positivity.

Epidemiology of Helicobacter pylori infection

Transmission of the infection revealed in many articles an important role of the mothers in transmitting the infection to their children. The epidemiology and risk factors of Helicobacter pylori infection were examined. The seroprevalence of the infection in different populations as well as colonization of the infection in childhood was reported. Moreover, this year attention was aimed at examining the associations between Helicobacter pylori with gastrointestinal and nongastrointestinal diseases.