Declining trends of prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection and incidence of gastric cancer in Taiwan: An updated cross-sectional survey and meta-analysis

Background We aimed to assess the latest prevalence and secular trend of Helicobacter pylori infection and its association with the incidence and mortality of gastric cancer in Taiwan. Materials and Methods Adults naive to H. pylori eradication received C-13-urea breath test (C-13-UBT), H. pylori stool antigen test, and serology test during 2019-2020 in this prospective screening program. Children and adolescent aged between 7 and 19 years received C-13-UBT for H. pylori screening. We also conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the secular trend of prevalence of H. pylori from 1990 to 2020 in Taiwan. The secular trends of age-standardized incidence and mortality of gastric cancer were obtained from the Taiwan Cancer Registry. Results A total of 1494 participants were enrolled, including 294 children or adolescents and 1200 adults. The overall prevalence of active H. pylori infection by C-13-UBT was 26.6% (397/1494), which was 30.8% in adults and 9.5% in adolescents/children. The age-standardized prevalence of active H. pylori infection was 32.3% in adults after adjustment of the population structure in Taiwan. Of the 29 studies including 38,597 subjects eligible for the meta-analysis, the pooled prevalence of H. pylori infection decreased from 63.8% (95% CI: 55.9%-71%) in 1990-2000 to 28.2% (95% CI:21.8%-35.6%) in 2016-2020. The age-standardized incidence and mortality of gastric cancer have also declined from 15.2 to 10.75 per 100,000, respectively, in 1999 to 9.29 and 5.4 per 100,000, respectively, in 2019. Conclusions The prevalence of H. pylori infection has declined in Taiwan, which correlates with the declining trends of age-standardized incidence and mortality of gastric cancer in Taiwan.

Automated summary

The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection has declined in Taiwan, which is correlated with the declining trends of age-standardized incidence and mortality of gastric cancer.