Prevalence of H. Pylori in gastric biopsy specimens with the histopathological assessment of gastric mucosa between 2015 and 2023: A cross-sectional study

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a gram-negative aerobic bacterium that primarily inhabits the stomach mucosa and is the leading cause of gastric atrophy and cancer. This study will detect the prevalence of H pylori infection with its combined effect on histopathological changes between 2015 and 2023. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 patients who complained of upper gastrointestinal symptoms and underwent upper oesophageal gastroduodenal endoscopy at Al-Kindy Teaching Hospital from January 2015 to August 2023. A gastric mucosal biopsy was performed during endoscopy, and histopathological examination was done using haematoxylin and eosin stain and modified Giemsa stain to increase the specificity of the test. Results: This study analysed 400 patients who complained of dyspepsia, with a mean age of 44.77±15.95. Of these patients, 51% were male and 49% were female. The prevalence of H pylori in the gastric mucosa was 25%, while the remaining patients tested negative. The histopathological analysis showed significant differences between patients with H pylori-induced gastritis and those without, regarding mucous-secreting epithelial cells (10% vs. 92%), intact mucosal glands (76% vs. 10.66%), and gastric atrophy (52% vs. 8%), respectively. Conclusions: This study confirms that the prevalence of H. pylori infection is a significant cause of gastritis, especially the atrophic type, and is common in patients over 40 years old of both sexes. Therefore, we recommend that patients over 40 years old with chronic dyspepsia undergo upper endoscopy and gastric biopsy to reduce the risk of gastric atrophy and cancer.