Approximately 30% of the population of the United States are presumed to be infected by H. pylori. Of this percentage, a majority of those infected are of a low socioeconomic status. Lack of proper sanitation in such households may contribute to this correlation. Men and women over the age of fifty have a 50% probability of becoming infected with H. pylori while that risk factor decreases dramatically for those under the age of forty. Children are at very little risk of developing an infection due to H. pylori. Finally, immigrants from developing countries account for many areas where the prevalence of H. pylori is unusually high. While these statistics seem to show a high prevalence of H. pylori infection in the United States, the number of cases has decreased by 50% since 1968.
H. pylori runs rampant in developing countries, affecting most adults. Infection by H. pylori in these adults most commonly occurs by the time they had become teenagers. Such a high prevalence is most likely due to insufficient sanitation and unhealthy living conditions.
Diagnosis/ Symptoms of infection