Helicobacter pylori infection and its associated factors among dyspepsia patients attending Debre Tabor Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, 2020

PLOS ONE RESEARCH ARTICLE Helicobacter pylori infection and its associated factors among dyspepsia patients attending Debre Tabor Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, 2020 Tadeg Jemere ID1*, Mekdes Tilahun2, Gashaw Walle ID1, Getachew Yideg1, Assefa Agegnehu1, Anemut Tilahun1, Edget Abebe ID1, Natnael Moges3 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 1 Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia, 2 Department of Medical Laboratory, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia, 3 Department of Pediatrics and Child Health Nursing, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia * Abstract OPEN ACCESS Citation: Jemere T, Tilahun M, Walle G, Yideg G, Agegnehu A, Tilahun A, et al. (2023) Helicobacter pylori infection and its associated factors among dyspepsia patients attending Debre Tabor Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, 2020. PLoS ONE 18(3): e0279396. https://doi.org/10.1371/ journal.pone.0279396 Introduction Helicobacter pylori is one of the most common bacterial infections of humankind that affects more than 50% of the world’s population. It has been implicated as an important agent in the pathogenesis of peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. Data regarding its prevalence using stool antigen test is scarce in Ethiopia. Hence, the main aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection among dyspeptic patients using stool antigen test and assessing the potential risk factors. Editor: Alpamys Issanov, Nazarbayev University School of Medicine, KAZAKHSTAN Received: February 8, 2022 Methods Accepted: December 7, 2022 Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted on 373 dyspepsia patients. Data were collected using a pre-tested interviewer administered questionnaire. SPSS Version 23 for Windows software was used for summarization and analyses of data. Bivariate analysis was conducted to detect the association between dependent and independent variables, and all candidate variables were entered into multivariate logistic regression. Statistical significance was set at p-value <0.05. Published: March 9, 2023 Copyright: © 2023 Jemere et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Data Availability Statement: All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files. Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work. Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Result More than one-third (34%) of dyspepsia patients were positive for H. pylori stool antigen test. Having greater than or equal to four children in the house [AOR = 7.5 95% CI (1.7, 33.6) p = 0.008)], absence of latrine for the house hold [AOR = 4.3 95% CI (1, 17.8), p = 0.043 and drinking of river water [AOR = 12.5 95% CI (1.5, 105), p = 0.021] were predictors of H-pylori infection. PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279396 March 9, 2023 1/9 PLOS ONE Helicobacter pylori infection and its associated factors among dyspepsia patients Conclusion More than one-third of dyspepsia patients were positive for H-pylori infection. Overcrowding and poor hygienic conditions are the main risk factors of H-pylori infection. Introduction Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a Gram-negative, spiral shaped and acid-resistant bacterium which lives in the luminal surfaces of gastric epithelium [1]. It is one of the most common chronic bacterial infections of humans that affects more than 50% of the world’s population making it the most widespread infection across the globe [2]. Helicobacter pylori bacteria has been implicated as an important agent in the pathogenesis of peptic ulcer disease and considered as an essential factor for the development of gastric cancer. For this reason, the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified this bacteria as carcinogenic [3, 4]. According to global cancer observatory 2020, the prevalence of gastric cancer in Ethiopia was 3.3% [5]. Helicobacter pylori infection is asymptomatic in most cases and only 17% of individuals who tested positive for H-pylori infection will develop peptic ulcers disease which leads to dyspepsia [3]. Dyspepsia, also known as indigestion, refers to discomfort or pain that occurs in the upper abdomen, often after eating or drinking which is not a disease but a symptom. It is a common problem, affecting up to 29% of the population. Common symptoms include bloating, discomfort, feeling too full, nausea, and gas [6]. Dyspepsia is the most common illness in the Ethiopian population visiting outpatient department of health facilities, and it has also been associated with H.pylori infection [7]. Result of different studies showed that, the prevalence of H.pylori positivity among dyspepsia patients using stool antigen test varies from 23% to 65%, depending on age, geographic location, hygienic condition, life style and socioeconomic status of the populations [7–9]. The ability of H-pylori to produce large amounts of unease enzyme which hydrolyzes urea to ammonia and carbon dioxide, the presence of flagella which is important for the movement of the bacteria and persistently colonize the mucus layer of the gastric mucosa are the major contributing factors for the pathogenesis of this bacteria [7]. According to the finding of different studies, gender, occupation, poor sanitary conditions, overcrowding, and unsafe water supply sources are the factors that influence the prevalence of H. pylori infection [1, 8, 10]. Even though the serological prevalence of H. pylori infection among dyspepsia patients is known, data regarding antigenic prevalence of H. pylori among dyspepsia patients is scarce in Ethiopia. Hence, the current study was conducted with an aim to determine the prevalence of H. pylori infection among dyspeptic patients using stool antigen test which is good in detecting acute infection and distinguishing active infection from previous exposure and assessing potential risk factors. Methods and materials Study setting and period Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted at Debre Tabor Compressive Specialized Hospital (DTCSH) in Debre Tabor town. Debre Tabor town is located in south Gondar zone, Amhara regional state, 665 kilometers northwest of Addis Ababa. DTCSH is one of the oldest hospitals in Ethiopia providing service to an estimated 2.7 million population in the catchment area. The study was conducted from August 1 to November 30, 2020 PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279396 March 9, 2023 2/9 PLOS ONE Helicobacter pylori infection and its associated factors among dyspepsia patients Source and study populations The source population were all adult dyspepsia pat (...truncated)