Purpose: The aim of the study is to investigate whether a new infection caused by Helicobacter pylori in preschool children transiently or permanently affects height and weight.
Methods: A cohort of 347 children from three day care centers was followed up for a median of 494 days. Breath tests and anthropometric measurements were performed every 2 to 4 months. The lag effect of a new infection on linear growth during a period of 8 months was analyzed by using mixed-effects models.
Results: One hundred five children (30.3%) became infected during the follow-up period and accumulated 92 person-years of follow-up. A significant decrease in growth velocity was observed during the first 4 months after infection. There was no height catch-up in infected children, and after 8 months, an infected child had a cumulative difference of 0.24 cm (growth velocity; 95% confidence interval, 0.22-0.26) compared with an uninfected child. Newly infected children experienced a small decrease in weight at the first visit compared with uninfected children, which became nonsignificant after the second visit without catch-up.
Conclusions: This study shows a significant and nontransient effect of infection caused by H. pylori on height and weight. Potential interventions that target infected preschool children are likely to prevent growth retardation.