H. pylori is believed to infect approximately two-thirds of the world’s population and approximately one-third of the population of the United States. There are segments of the U.S. population that have much higher prevalence rates as compared to the general population. Prevalence rates can vary according to ethnic background, socioeconomic status, and age. Developing countries have much higher prevalence rates than developed countries. In the U.S., the African-American and Hispanic subpopulation groups show prevalence rates similar to that of developing countries, and immigrants from Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa have prevalence rates similar to that of the African-American and Hispanic populations.
Worldwide prevalence of H. Pylori in the mid-1990s4
United States and Canada
30%-40%
Mexico and Central/South America
70%-90%
Western Europe
30%-50%
Eastern Europe
70%
Africa
70%-90%
Asia
70%-80%
Australia
20%
Between 80% and 90% of all ulcers are caused by or are associated with H. pylori. In the United States, the annual direct and indirect costs attributable to H. pylori-related ulcer disease total an estimated $6 billion. The lifetime prevalence of PUD is about 12% in men and 9% in women; the point prevalence (all of those individuals that show the condition at a given time) in the United States is approximately 2%. Because patients with dyspepsia and other signs and symptoms of PUD typically present to their primary care physicians, H. pylori infection and PUD are now considered primary care diseases, rather than diseases that require care by subspecialists such as gastroenterologists.
