Helicobacter pylori status and associated upper gastrointestinal endoscopic diagnosis in a tertiary hospital: A retrospective study

Abstract

Background: We aimed to analyze the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection and the endoscopic diagnoses in dyspeptic patients presenting to the only tertiary care hospital in Somalia. Methods: This study was a retrospective study based on the data of adult (age ≥ 18 years) patients referred to our center for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy due to dyspepsia between November 2021 and April 2022. Demographic data, histopathological diagnoses, the presence or absence of H. pylori infection, and the correlation between H. pylori infection and endoscopic diagnoses were analyzed. Results: Overall, 634 patients were included. Among these, 363 (57.3%) were male and 271 (42.7%) were female, and the mean age was (standard deviation) 45.42 (±15.71). The H. pylori infection was detected in 299 (47.2%) patients. It was more common in males than females (57.1% vs. 42.9%) and aged between 31 and 45 years (37%). Gastritis was the most common endoscopic diagnosis (n = 184, 29%), followed by duodenal ulcer (n = 145, 22.9%) and gastric ulcer (n = 89, 14%). The least common diagnosis was gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) (n = 10, 1.6%). There was a strong correlation between H. pylori infection and gastritis (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.494–3.006, odds ratio [OR]: 2.119, P < 0.00005). However, H. pylori infection was also correlated with duodenal ulcer (95% CI: 1.123–2.371, OR: 1.631, P < 0.010), gastric cancer (95% CI: 2.809–14.646, OR: 6.414, P < 0.001), gastric ulcer (95% CI: 2.792–7.995, OR: 4.725, P < 0.005), and GIST (95% CI: 1.305–82.306, OR: 10.366, P < 0.027). Conclusion: H. pylori infection was found to be associated with gastritis duodenal ulcer, gastric cancer, gastric ulcer, and GIST.

Keywords

• endoscopy
• gastritis
• helicobacter pylori
• somalia
• ulcer