Prevalence and Endoscopic Findings of <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> Infection among Dyspeptic Patients in Kenya

Background: Helicobacter pylori is the most common cause of chronic human infections worldwide with the highest\r\nreported prevalence in Africa. It is associated with numerous upper\r\ngastrointestinal diseases such as gastritis, peptic ulcers, and gastric cancer.\r\nEndoscopic findings in the stomach usually associated with Helicobacter pylori infections include\r\ngastritis and gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), however, these findings\r\nare suggestive but not diagnostic of Helicobacter pylori infection. Methods: This was a prospective\r\nstudy conducted between January 2018 and February 2019 at the Aga Khan University\r\nHospital where dyspeptic patients scheduled for gastroduodenoscopy were\r\nenrolled. These patients were evaluated for Helicobacter pylori infection by rapid\r\nurease test, culture and histopathology. Diagnostic findings and patient\r\nhistory collected from medical files were documented and data analyzed. Results: A total of 487 dyspeptic\r\npatients undergoing esophagogastroduodenoscopy\r\n(EGD) were enrolled in the study and 199 dyspeptic patients were positive\r\nfor Helicobacter pylori infection. The prevalence was 54.6% in males and 45.4% in\r\nfemales (p = 0.1546. The most common clinical indication and endoscopic findings\r\nwere heart burn (25.2%) and gastritis (53.7%). Histopathology revealed that\r\n86.1% of the dyspeptic patients had chronic active gastritis (p H. pylori infection. Conclusions: Classical\r\nendoscopic findings such as GERD are not always indicative of H. pylori infection as its association with H. pylori infection was not\r\nstatistically significant in this study.