A retrospective analysis of data collected over 05 years for prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infestation in symptomatic patients from Jammu and Kashmir

Introduction: Infection with H. pylori infection is common. About two-third of the population in the world carry H pylori in their bodies. The infection is acquired in the childhood and persist despite of local and systemic immune response.Materials and Methods: This was a prospective observational study done on 1000 patients at a tertiary health care hospital in Jammu, India, over a period of 04 years (March 2016 to March 2020). Written and informed consent regarding the purpose, procedures, and risks was obtained from all patients. Data were collected by conducting personal interview and doing a complete physical examination of the participants of the study. All patients underwent basic investigations as per symptoms and comorbidities. UGIE was performed on all the study participants using a video gastroscope. Gross features of the upper GI tract were noted and biopsies were obtained from the stomach (antrum, body, and fundus), and second part of the duodenum. One antral and one corpus biopsy sample each were used for rapid urease test (RUT).Results: A total of 1000 patients underwent UGIE for different set of complaints. Most common complaint in this study group was epigastric pain (43%) followed by dyspepsia (33.2%) and 80.23% and 78.61% patients were positive for H pylori on RUT. On UGI endoscopy duodenal ulcer was seen in 430 patients and among them 85.34% were H. pylori positive on RUT, gastric ulcer was seen in 240 patients and among them 73.33% were H pylori positive. Most common comorbidity was hypertension in the study group and among these patients 138(88.46%) were H. pylori positive, 2nd common comorbidity was Diabetes mellitus and among them 133(91.86%) were H. pylori positive. Overall prevalence of H. pylori manifestation in study group was seen in 78.5% patients.Conclusion: Among all symptomatic patients enrolled in this study the most symptom was epigastric pain followed by dyspepsia and most common comorbidities in the study group were HTN and Diabetes mellitus. Rapid urease test was performed on UGI endoscopic biopsy specimen for H pylori infestation and 78.5% patients were found to be positive