Potential Predictors and Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori Infection Among Adult Patients With Dyspepsia: A Retrospective Study From Qatar

Aim To study the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection among dyspeptic patients of various ethnic origins in Qatar and determine the association between H. pylori infection and various demographic factors and endoscopic findings. Methods A retrospective data review was carried at Alkhor Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar. Adult patients who underwent endoscopy for the evaluation of dyspepsia between January 2011 to December 2017 were included. Patients who underwent endoscopy for reasons other than dyspepsia and those with incomplete data were excluded. Results Of the 638 subjects included, 58.9% were males, and the mean age of the subjects was 42.2 years (range 18-79 years). Epigastric pain (80.6%) was the most common symptom, followed by heartburn (26.2%). Forty point nine percent (40.9%) had a positive Campylobacter-like organism (CLO) test for H. pylori. A higher prevalence of H. pylori infection was observed among subjects between 31-50 years of age (43.6%) and 18-30 years (40.5%), and in Asian (42.2%) and Middle East and North African nationals (MENA) nationals (40%). Among the endoscopic findings, esophagitis (P=0.002) and gastritis (P=0.001) showed a statistically significant correlation with H. pylori positivity. Univariate regression analysis revealed an increased risk for H. pylori infection among all age groups except above 65 years, with an odds ratio (OR) of more than 2 in all the three age groups. Among various ethnicities, patients from Asia and MENA countries showed an increased risk of getting H. pylori infection (OR 1.16, 95% CI; 0.77,1.75 and OR 1.06, 95% CI 0.70,-1.61 respectively). The multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that subjects with endoscopic findings of esophagitis (adjusted OR 1.67, 95%CI 1.19, 2.34; P=0.003), gastritis (adjusted OR 1.79, 95%CI 1.27, 2.57; P=0.001), and duodenal ulcer (adjusted OR 2.41, 95%CI 1.24, 4.70; P=0.010) remained significantly associated with an increased risk of having H. pylori infection. Conclusion The burden of H. pylori infection in patients with dyspepsia undergoing endoscopy is not low in Qatar. Less than 65 years of age, Asian nationals, and being from the MENA region were the demographic predictors for H. pylori infection. The finding of esophagitis, gastritis, and duodenal ulcer on endoscopy were independent endoscopic predictors for having H. pylori infection.