Prevalence and histological features of Helicobacter pylori in patients underwent Esophageogastroduedenoscopy

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) are gram-negative bacilli and a common chronic bacterial infection in humans, linked to chronic gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, and stomach cancer. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of H. pylori infection among symptomatic patients undergoing their first Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH), examining its distribution across different age and gender groups, and identifying related histological findings, comparing results with other Middle Eastern countries. A cross-sectional study was conducted at SQUH which includes all symptomatic adult outpatients underwent first time EGD between Jan 2015 to Jan 2016. Histology test was used to investigate the histopathological features associated with H. pylori infection. Appropriate statistical tests were used for comparison and analysis of the data. A total of 170 symptomatic patients were included in this study. Among those symptomatic patients, 49.4% (n=84) were males, whereas, 50.6% (n=86) were females. The prevalence of H. pylori infection was 45.3% (n=77/170). The distribution of H. pylori infection among males was 42.9% (n=36/84) compared to females 47.7% (n=41/86). The highest frequency of infection was among 50-59 and >60 age groups (20 patients), whereas, the lowest was among <29 age group (6 patient). Chronic gastritis was the highest histopathological features present in patients with H. pylori infection 76.62% (n=59). This study shows that females and older age groups had the highest prevalence of H. pylori infection compared to the other groups. It shows also that the prevalence of H. pylori infection was lower than other Middle East countries.