GASTRIC PATHOLOGIES AND HELICOBACTER PYLORI: A CORRELATIVE STUDY.

J Peop Univ Med Health Sci. 2025:15(2) ,21-29. http://doi.org/10.46536/jpumhs/2025/15.02.620

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Given that H. pylori have a well-established function in gastric pathology, little is known about the relationship between H. pylori infection, histological findings, and demographic characteristics including age and gender. OBJECTIVE: To assess the degree of H. pylori infection and how it relates to histopathological alterations. METHODS: This retrospective observational study was carried out at Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar, from January to June 2024. A sample of 150 patients was selected based on a 99% confidence interval and 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 was applied to assess associations. RESULTS: Among total (n=150) patients, with 44 (29.3%) testing positive for H. pylori. Majority were diagnosed with inflammatory conditions (90.7%, n=136) with Chronic non-specific gastritisbmost 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). No significant associations were found between H. pylori infection and age groups (p=0.298), or gender (p=0.637). CONCLUSION: There is no correlation between H. pylori infection and age or gender, however there is a substantial correlation between H. pylori infection and stomach cancer. These results underline the significance of H. pylori testing in patients with precancerous esions and chronic gastritis, as well as the crucial role that H. pylori plays in stomach pathophysiology.