Seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori Ig G Antibody and Risk Factors in Hypertensive Patients at Dschang District Hospital in Cameroon

Aims: Growing evidence suggests that certain extragastric diseases were associated with Helicobacter pylori infection. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of H. pylori Ig G antibody and risk factors among hypertensive patients at Dschang District Hospital in Cameroon.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Biochemistry and District Hospital of Dschang, between November 2015 to March 2016.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 158 consenting patients of average age 57.21 ± 10 years attending the hospital for medical check-up or admitted in the hospital. Two blood pressure measurements and the determination of anti-H. pylori IgG antibody by the indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique, enabled us to distinguish four groups of patients. A questionnaire survey was administered to study participants and potential risk factors for H. pylori exposure sought. The variables were included into a multivariate logistic regression model, and the association of the potential risk factors with the studied pathologies was expressed as odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The Chi-square test was used to compare frequencies of risks factors in the various groups. SPSS 20.0 was used for statistical analyses. A p < 0.05 was considered significant for all analyses.

Results: The seroprevalence of anti-H. pylori IgG antibody was significantly higher in hypertensive patients than in controls (44.89% versus 33.33%; p = 0.029; OR = 2.43). Among the risk factors evaluated, sex (p = 0.001; OR = 1.269) and alcohol intake (p = 0.001; OR = 1.235) were observed to be independent risk factors of hypertension while the habit of sharing cutleries (p = 0.043; OR = 2.337) and family history of gastric pains (p = 0.001; OR = 39.0) were predictors of H. pylori infection. Finally, obesity was an independent predictor of hypertension (p = 0.0204; OR = 5.149) and H. pylori infection (p = 0.047; OR = 2.042).

Conclusion: Based on these results, it is conceivable that H. pylori infection and the identified risk factors can be reliable indicators for the assessment of cardiovascular problems such as hypertension.