Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in asymptomatic adult patients in a tertiary care hospital: A cross sectional study.

Helicobacter pylori is well recognized as major cause of gastro-intestinal diseases. The present cross - sectional study was done in the department of Medicine at G.S.V.M Medical College. A total of 208 adult patients attending out patient department for symptoms other than those of gastrointestinal disorders were screened to find out the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori using Stool antigen card test. Out of these 208 patients, 92 were found positive for Helicobacter pylori by the test, giving a prevalence of 44.23%. A detailed proforma was filled, regarding the age and sex of the patient, education and occupation of the head of the family, sanitary practices, dietary habits and tobacco chewing. The patients were also examined for pallor. Among a total of 143 males, 61 were found positive for Helicobacter pylori (42.7%) and among 65 females, 31 were found positive (47.7%). Age wise distribution showed maximum prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in the age group of 30-39 years (50.7%) and minimum in the age group of more than 70 years (20%). A higher prevalence of Helicobacter pylori was found among non-vegetarians (53.3%) and among patients having pallor (52%), though both were not significant. The study of socio-economic status showed a prevalence of 42.3% in lower middle, 44.9% in upper lower and 50% in upper middle socioeconomic groups. A prevalence of 51.7% was seen among subjects chewing tobacco.