Getachew Seid, Kassu Desta and Aster Tsegaye
Background: The exact role of H. pylori infection among HIV infected patients in causing gastrointestinal symptoms such as dyspepsia remains obscure. There are circumscribed data regarding H. pylori infection in HIV positive patients in cognation to CD4+ T cell count in our city and country. Our study aims to assess the prevalence of H. pylori infection among dyspeptic and non -dyspeptic HIV patient and its association with CD4+ T cell count at Yeka health center.
Methods: Institution based matched case control study was conducted from January to June 2017 on dyspeptic and non-dyspeptic HIV patients in Yeka health center. Cases were dyspeptic HIV patients who have symptom of dyspepsia and controls were non-dyspeptic HIV patients who have not symptom of dyspepsia. Stool antigen test was used to determine H. pylori. Data were managed using SPSS version 20.
Results: A total of 185 cases and 185 controls were participated in the study. In dyspeptic group gender distribution was 35.1% male: 64.9% female and 33% male: 67.0% female in the non-dyspeptic group. H. pylori antigen was detected in 117 (31.62%) of the total participants. The prevalence of H. pylori infection among cases and control was 60 (32.43%) and 57 (30.81%) respectively. The mean and median CD4+ T cell count of dyspeptic study participants was (mean 370, median 364 cell/dl) while in the control group it was (mean 329,median312 cell/ dl). In both case and control groups, no significant association was observed in the prevalence of H. pylori infection and CD4+ T cell count (p-value 0.18).
Conclusion: The prevalence of H. pylori infection was not significantly different among dyspeptic and nondyspeptic HIV patients. The infection was not significantly associated with CD4+ T cell count both in the dyspeptic and non-dyspeptic HIV patients. Thus, screening and treatment of H. pylori infection should be done independent of CD4+ T cell count level and symptom of dyspepsia.