Association of Helicobacter Pylori with Gastric Pathologies in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Quetta

Objective: To determine the prevalence of H. pylori infection and its relationship with histopathological changes. Study design: Retrospective observational study. Placer and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at Combined Military Hospital, Quetta, from 01 Jan 2022 to 30 Sep 2024. Patients and Methods: A sample of 150 patients was selected based on a 99% confidence interval and a 5% margin of error. Adult patients (≥18 years) with complete clinical, endoscopic, and histopathological data were included. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26, with chi-square tests applied to assess associations. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: A total of 150 patients were included in the study, with 44 (29.3%) cases testing positive for H. pylori. The majority of cases were diagnosed with inflammatory conditions (90.7%, n=136) with Chronic non-specific gastritis being most common. Malignant tumors were observed in 8.0% (n=12) patients, with adenocarcinoma in 9 cases. There was a significant correlation between H. pylori infection and gastric adenocarcinoma (p=0.001), moderate-to-severe inflammation (p<0.001), gastric atrophy (p=0.011), and intestinal metaplasia (p=0.001). No significant associations were found between H. pylori infection and age groups (p=0.298), or gender (p=0.637). Conclusion: Our study revealed a significant association between H. pylori infection and gastric adenocarcinoma, severity of inflammation, gastric atrophy and intestinal metaplasia however, there was no association between H. Pylori with age and gender. These findings highlight the critical role of H. pylori in gastric pathophysiology and emphasize the importance of H. pylori testing in patients with chronic gastritis and precancerous lesions.