Prevalence of Helicobacter Pylori Infection in Relation to Gender and Age in the Population of AL-Ajailat, Libya

Helicobacter pylori are bacteria that can lead to an infection in the stomach or duodenum, which is the first segment of the small intestine. They are the most prevalent cause of peptic ulcer disease. If left untreated, a long-term H. pylori infection can result in complications. This study was performed to determine the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection and its relation to age and gender in a population of AL-Ajailat, Libya. Methods. The study was a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted in the central AL-jailat clinic (Laboratory Department) from January 2023 to July 2023 to determine seroprevalence of H. pylori infection. A total of 413 participants (127 males and 255 females, aged between 1 and 89 years) were included in this study. For the detection of H. pylori, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits were utilized. In contrast, the absence of both antibodies (IgG and IgM) resulted in the designation of H. pylori-negative status. Anti-H. pylori immunoglobulin (Ig)G/IgM>22 IU/L were classified as H. pylori positive. The analysis was performed by using the statistical package for the social sciences, SPSS version 27. Result. A total of 413 subjects were enrolled in this study. The overall prevalence of H. pylori infection was 84.7%. H. pylori infection prevalence was higher in females than in men (70.3% vs. 29.7%, p = 0.001), respectively. The highest prevalence of H. pylori infection is observed in the age groups of 40-49 years (21.4%) and 30-39 years (18.9%), compared with the other age groups, but a p-value of 0.256 suggests that there is no statistically significant association between age and H. pylori infection status. Conclusion. Prevalence of H. pylori infection was high in this study. H. pylori infection seroprevalence was higher in females than males and middle-aged people are more vulnerable to H. pylori infection