Helicobacter pylori infection in South Nigerians: a serological study of dyspeptic patients and healthy individuals

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori has now been well recognised to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of gastroduodenal disease. So far serology has been the most useful technique for rapid access to accurate information about H. pylori status of dyspeptic patients. This study reports on the seroprevalence of Hpylori infection in both dyspeptic and healthy adult Nigerian subjects in a community located in the South Western part of Nigeria. Two groups of subjects were studied, consisting of 25 adult Nigerian patients with dyspepsia who presented at the Gastroenterology Clinic, and 25 healthy adult Nigerian volunteers. Serum samples were prepared from five milliliters of blood collected from each of the subjects. The quantity of IgG antibodies to Hpylori was determined in each of these 50 samples, using the immunocomb II. Helicobacter pylori IgG kit, with each test result being validated by an internal controL Twenty-two (88%) of the 25 dyspeptic patients and 20 (80%) of the normal individuals were seropositive for IgG antibody to H. pylori. The difference in infection rate between both sexes was not statistically significant These results indicate a high rate of Hpylori infection in this locality as reported in previous serological studies in this country and some other developing countries. The similarly high seroprevalence of H. pylori infection in both our healthy individuals and dyspeptic patients also supports the assertion, earlier made in the literature, that H. pylori exerts its influence in concert with other environmental factors as well as social and genetic factors.