Prevalence of Helicobacter Pylori Infection among HIV-1 Infected Patients using Stool Antigen Tests in Jos, North-Central, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is common among humans and plays a major role in the etiology of peptic ulcer disease with significant morbidity in patients with HIV-1 on antiretroviral therapy. There are conflicting prevalence patterns of H. pylori in HIV-1 infected patients using various methods of detection. The noninvasive technique used for detection of H. pylori infection is inexpensive and convenient with no complications. Materials and Methods: We aimed to determine the prevalence of H. pylori infection among patients infected with HIV-1 on antiretroviral therapy using H. pylori stool antigen. 139 patients infected with HIV-1 were recruited, stool samples were collected and the H. pylori stool antigen (HpSA) test was used to detect H. pylori antigen. Results: 46.8% of the respondents were positive for H. pylori and 53.2% were negative, 18 (13%) were men and 47 (33.8%) were women. HpSA is a relatively simple, inexpensive, and time-saving non-invasive test for the detection of H. pylori infections in patients infected with HIV-1. Conclusion: We also observed that the prevalence of H. pylori was low in these patients compared with the general population. However, more studies using H. pylori stool antigen test are needed in these patients in the North-Central, Nigeria to further evaluate the infection rate.