Prevalence of Helicobacter Pylori Infection Among Patients with Dyspepsia by Stool Antigen and Serology Tests

Abstract

Background: Helicobacter pylori is the most common chronic bacterial infection globally and is the underlying cause of many disorders, including dyspepsia. Also, the prevalence of gastric cancer in Zanjan city is high. Therefore, this study investigates the prevalence of H. pylori infection in patients with dyspepsia by the H. pylori stool antigen (HpSA) test. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on patients over 18 years of age who were referred to Shafieieh Special Clinic in Zanjan with dyspepsia during 2019-2020. First, the HpSA test was examined for H. pylori infection. Since the results of two separate tests are needed to prove that H. pylori infection is negative, the serological test was used in the patients with HpSA negative results. Results: Based on the demographic information of the present study, most patients (70.1%) were under 40 years old, and most (55.1%) were women. Smoking, alcohol, drug, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) use in patients were 16.5%, 6.3%, 7.9%, and 39.4%, respectively. The highest and lowest symptoms were abdominal pain (44.9%) and burp (22%), respectively. Except for the relationship between positive serological results and age (P˂0.001), no significant relationship was found between other variables (P≥0.05). Based on the HpSA test, H. pylori infection was seen in 56.7% of patients. By the serological test, another 29 patients had H. pylori infection. Therefore, the total number of patients was 101, and the overall prevalence of H. pylori increased to 79.5%. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that the overall prevalence of H. pylori infection was high compared to previous studies. Also, above the age of 40 years, female gender in HpSA test and male gender in serology test, higher education level, and the presence of risk factors (smoking, alcohol, and NSAIDs) have a higher positive test for H. pylori.