Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in people with intellectual disability in a residential care centre in Israel.
Even small, friendly homes for people with ID still show sky-high H. pylori rates, so routine screening is a must.
01Research in Context
What this study did
A team in Israel drew blood from 47 adults living in a small kibbutz-style home for people with intellectual disability.
They tested the blood for Helicobacter pylori, a stomach germ that can cause ulcers and cancer.
The goal was to see if this germ spreads even in cozy, family-like settings.
What they found
Three out of every four residents carried the germ.
That is the same high rate seen in big, crowded institutions.
Size and warmth of the home did not stop the bug.
How this fits with other research
Hsu et al. (2012) counted a different illness, metabolic syndrome, in Taiwanese large homes.
They found only 1 in 9 adults affected, far lower than the 3 in 4 here.
The two studies show that some health risks stay high in any group home while others do not.
Reid et al. (1999) used the QABF survey in similar homes and mapped why severe behaviors happen.
Together, the papers tell us to screen for both germs and behavior triggers in every residence, big or small.
Why it matters
You can’t judge infection risk by how nice the house looks.
Add H. pylori blood tests to annual check-ups for all residents.
If results are positive, ask the doctor for treatment so ulcers and pain don’t fuel problem behavior.
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Join Free →Hand the nurse a list of residents who have never been tested for H. pylori and ask for blood draws this month.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
In 1982, Helicobacter pylori (formerly Campylobacter pylori) was identified as a pathogenic factor in peptic ulcer disease by researchers from Australia. Because only a small number of studies of H. pylori infection have been conducted in people with intellectual disability (ID), and none of these were done in Israel, the present authors decided to conduct a pilot study on its prevalence in this population. The Israeli Division for Mental Retardation provides services to over 6000 people in 54 residential care centres (or institutions), and one centre in the south of the country with kibbutz-style living arrangements was selected for this pilot study. The study was performed as part of the yearly routine medical examination of all residents, and blood specimens were drawn for IgG antibodies to H. pylori (ELISA). Out of the 47 individuals screened, 75% (n=36) were seropositive. In addition to the reported high rates of H. pylori infection in residents with ID living in large facilities, the present pilot study suggests that people with ID living in smaller, kibbutz-style arrangements are also at high risk.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2002 · doi:10.1046/j.1365-2788.2002.00382.x