Epidemiological, Clinical, Endoscopic and Histological Aspects of <i>Helicobacter </i><i>pylori</i> Chronic Gastritis in the Southern Region of Senegal

Introduction: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) chronic gastritis is an infectious disease causing chronic histological changes in the gastric mucosa. It is a ubiquitous condition, but is more prevalent in developing countries. The aim of our study was to determine the epidemiological, clinical, endoscopic and histological aspects of chronic H. pylori gastritis at the digestive endoscopy centre at the Ziguinchor Peace Hospital. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective, descriptive and analytical study conducted over a period of 7 months (July 2021 to January 2022). All patients aged 18 or over who underwent Oeso-Gastro-Duodenal Endoscopy (OGDE) and had histologically confirmed chronic H. pylori gastritis were included. Results: Of 298 patients who underwent OGDE with biopsies, 200 cases of chronic H. pylori gastritis were identified, representing an endoscopic prevalence of 67.1%. The mean age of the patients was 40 years [18 - 79 years]. Females predominated, with a sex ratio of 0.46. The indications for OGDE were dominated by epigastralgia (93.8%). The main lesions found on endoscopic examination were erosions of the gastroduodenal mucosa in 53.5% of cases, atrophic gastritis in 28% and ulcerations in 16.5%. Gastritis was antifundial in 91.5% of cases. Bacterial density was low in the majority of cases (57%). Histology showed mucosal atrophy in 88.5% of cases. Intestinal metaplasia (IM) was present in only 19 patients (9.5%). Only 3% of patients were classified as OLGA (Operative Link for Gastritis Assessment) III/IV and none as OLGIM (Operative Link for Gastritis Intestinal Metaplasia) III/IV. Low-grade dysplastic lesions were noted in 5 patients (2.5%). There was no relationship between age, bacterial density and OLGA/OLGIM classifications. There was no endoscopic or histological correlation for the diagnosis of H. pylori chronic atrophic gastritis. Conclusion: The pandemic nature of H. pylori chronic gastritis and its impact on the genesis of gastric adenocarcinoma are a worldwide concern, making its treatment and the monitoring of high-risk patients a real public health challenge.