Helicobacter pylori (Hp) is a major cause of chronic-active gastritis and primary duodenal ulcers, and is strongly linked to gastric cancer. Most Hp infections worldwide are acquired in childhood. Why some individuals develop symptomatic disease is unclear and, until recently, no studies critically evaluated the role of pediatric Hp strains and/or host factors in disease outcomes. Over the past 5 years of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, 486 children from Atlanta, Cleveland, and Miami were enrolled; 184 (38%) were Hp-infected. Race (African American) and younger age, in conjunction with Hp strains expressing cagA and vacAs1B, were shown to be risk factors for both esophageal and gastric disease, suggesting a different disease paradigm from Hp-infected adults. Using the updated Sydney system, the investigators demonstrated a histopathologic spectrum in children, which included novel observations of atrophic gastritis with intestinal metaplasia.