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Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori among Nigerian patients with dyspepsia in Ibadan
Abstract
pathologies using gastric biopsy histology and rapid urease test. Methods: Eighty-six consecutive adult patients with dyspepsia underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy using forward-viewing endoscopes. Antral biopsy specimens were collected for histology and rapid urease test. Diagnosis of H. pylori infection was made if both or either of the tests was positive. Results: Of the 86 subjects, there were 39 (45.3%) males and
47(54.7%) females. The age range was 23 to 85 years with a mean of 49.19±13.75 years. Diagnosis of H. pylori was made in 55(64%) patients. Gastritis was the commonest endoscopic finding (60.5%), serious gastroduodenal pathology (gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer and gastric cancer) were documented in only 12 (14%) patients. Thirty three (63.5%) of the 55 patients with gastritis had H. pylori infection while 7(58.3%) of the 12
patients with serious gastroduodenal lesions had the infection. Thirteen (72.2%) of the 18 patients that had normal endoscopic findings were H.pylori positive. Conclusion: The prevalence of H. pylori among dyspeptics using biopsy based methods is high in the South-Western part of Nigeria. It is therefore important to test and treat H. pylori among Nigerians with dyspepsia.