The prevalence of helicobacter antibodies increases with age and, in many developed countries, is highest in people born before 1940. Data on very old subjects are, however, limited. In this study we wanted to determine whether the age-related increase in the seroprevalence of H. pylori infection continues even in the oldest age group alive in Finland, the centenarians.
Sera from 173 subjects (93% of all centenarians alive in Finland in 1991) were available for the present study. IgG and IgA antibodies against H. pylori were determined by an in-house enzyme immunoassay. To estimate the influence of atrophic gastritis on the prevalence of helicobacter antibodies, serum pepsinogen I (PG I) concentrations and parietal cell antibodies (PCAs) were measured by an enzyme immunoassay and indirect immunofluorescence, respectively.
The prevalence of helicobacter antibodies in Finnish centenarians was 66%. Low PG I values (