In order to determine whether an association exists between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and iron deficiency, these researchers tested a cohort of 792 female students from 7 Auckland high schools (median age 16 years) for H. pylori serology and iron deficiency. Significant differences were observed between different ethnic groups: the prevalence of positive H. pylori serology was highest for Pacific Island students (49.0%), intermediate for Māori (26.7%) and Asian (24.7%) and lowest for European (13.7%) (p<0.0001). Compared to students with negative H. pylori serology, those with positive H. pylori serology had significantly lower mean levels of iron saturation (p=0.013), but not of ferritin (p=0.068), haemoglobin (p=0.08) or mean cell volume (p=0.16). In analyses adjusted for age, ethnicity and school SES decile, positive H. pylori serology was associated with increased risk of iron deficiency (RR 1.20), but not anaemia (RR 1.01).
