Prediction of true Helicobacter pylori-uninfected status using a combination of age, serum antibody and pepsinogen: Logistic regression analysis

To prevent gastric cancer, it is important to accurately determine the presence of Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection. However, correctly identifying HP-uninfected individuals is difficult when using the combination of HP antibody and pepsinogen (PG). The aim of this study was to discriminate true HP-uninfected individuals from others without the need for endoscopic examination. A total of 684 subjects with no history of HP eradication who underwent a medical checkup at our hospital were enrolled. The "true uninfected individuals" were determined by a negative stool antigen test and no endoscopic findings of HP-associated gastritis. HP antibody was measured by the latex immunoassay method. Logistic regression analysis using a combination of noninvasive parameters was performed to develop a formula for predicting true uninfected individuals. A total of 528 subjects were classified as true uninfected individuals. Logistic regression analysis showed that statistically significant factors for true uninfected individuals were age (p < 0.001), HP antibody (p