Prevalence and possible risk factors of H. pylori among uninvestigated dyspeptic patients in Port-Harcourt

Abstract

Introduction:Helicobacter pylori associated with gastrointestinal diseases has attracted the most recent attention in medical literature as an infectious cause of dyspepsia. Its diagnosis can be made easily with a simple, portable and non-invasive test known as urea breath test. We therefore determined the prevalence and the possible risk factors of H. pylori using 14C urea breath test.
Methods:Patients with Rome III features of dyspepsia were recruited over a period of 6months, medical history was obtained from the recruited patients using a well-structured questionnaire. The detection of H. pylori infection was by 14C urea breath test.
Results:130 cases comprising of 55(42.3%) males and 75(57.7%) females were recruited. The prevalence of H. pylori among dyspeptic patients was 49.2%. Drinking of borehole water and low educational level were associated with H. pylori infection (p=0.001). However, drinking of borehole water was found to be the only independent risk factor for H. pylori infection. p= 0.001. Odds ratio (OR) = 3.7.
Conclusion:There is need to check the quality of boreholes in Port-Harcourt, to ensure that they meet up to the standard requirement, considering that surface water is shallow. Water analysis especially bacteriological testing should also be done before water is declared safe for drinking.