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. 2019 Jan 8;19(1):30.
doi: 10.1186/s12879-019-3677-0.

Helicobacter pylori infection among patients presenting with dyspepsia at a primary care setting in Cameroon: seroprevalence, five-year trend and predictors

Jeannine A Aminde  1   2 , Guisilla A Dedino  3 , Calypse A Ngwasiri  4   5 , Kingsley S Ombaku  6 , Cedric A Mahop Makon  6 , Leopold Ndemnge Aminde  4   7
Affiliations

Helicobacter pylori infection among patients presenting with dyspepsia at a primary care setting in Cameroon: seroprevalence, five-year trend and predictors

Jeannine A Aminde et al. BMC Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Background: Almost half the world's population is infected with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) with the highest reported prevalence from Africa. This infection is associated with several morbid gastrointestinal conditions. Understanding the trends in seroprevalence and the factors associated with H. pylori seropositivity in dyspeptic persons can provide a guide for public health policies.

Methods: This was a retrospective study, carried out with outpatient records of Wum District Hospital (WDH) from January 2012 to December 2016. We reviewed records of all patients for whom a H. pylori serology test was requested. The Cochran-Armitage trend test and multiple regression models were used to explore seroprevalence trends and predictors of seropositivity respectively.

Results: We included 451 records, 63.6% (n = 287) were female. The mean age of the study population was 40.7 years, and the overall H. pylori seroprevalence was 51.5% (95% CI: 47-56%). The use of recommended eradication regimen appears to be low and declining. On average, H. pylori seroprevalence declined by 6.8% annually (p < 0.0001). Occupational status independently predicted seropositivity, with students having lower odds of being seropositive than employed persons (aOR = 0.09, 95% CI: 0.02-0.49, p = 0.016).

Conclusion: Despite decreasing trends, the seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection is high in dyspeptic patients attending this primary care setting. Improving living standards and establishing national guidelines for eradication can possibly aid the control of this infection.

Keywords: Cameroon; Helicobacter pylori; Primary care; Seroprevalence; Trends.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The ethics review committee of the Wum District Hospital approved this study, and the director of the Wum District Hospital granted authorization prior to commencing the study. As this was a retrospective review of medical records, no participant informed consent was required.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Trends in H. pylori seroprevalence at Wum District Hospital, Cameroon
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Treatment profile for H. pylori positive patients at Wum District Hospital, Cameroon
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Prescription of H. pylori eradication therapy at the Wum District Hospital, Cameroon
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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