Asanghanwa Milca*, Kehbila Desire Gwelablab and Mary Chia Garba

Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bamenda, P. O. Box 39, Bambili, Cameroon

*Corresponding Author: Asanghanwa Milca, Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bamenda, P. O. Box 39, Bambili, Cameroon.

Received: March 21, 2025; Published: May 20, 2025

Abstract

Background: Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium suspected to be associated with extra-digestive diseases including diabetes. However, there is limited evidence on the burden and determinants of this bacterial infection within the North West Region of Cameroon. We aimed at investigating the prevalence and risk factors of H. pylori in type 2 diabetes patients attending the Diabetes Clinic of the Nkwen District Hospital, Bamenda – Cameroon.

Methodology: This was a hospital-based case-control and cross-sectional study involving 70 type 2 diabetes patients and 100 non-diabetic controls. Following informed consent, serological testing for H. pylori antibody was performed using H. pylori antibody rapid test kit. H. pylori data regarding prevalence and risk factors were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 22.0; with p-value < 0.05 considered statistically significant.

Results: The overall prevalence of H. pylori was 64%; with a non-significant disparity according to diabetes: 70% (49/70) in diabetic patients versus 60% (60/100) in non-diabetic controls (p = 0.181). Interestingly, diabetic patients who ate only at home had a significantly lower prevalence of H. pylori (62.9%) compared to those who ate both at home and restaurants (93.8%) (p = 0.018). All other potential factors tested in both groups were not statistically associated with the risk of having H. pylori (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: The prevalence of H. pylori in the general population of the Health District of Nkwen is high regardless of diabetic status. However, type 2 diabetes patients frequenting restaurants stand at a higher risk of carrying H. pylori; suggesting the need for adherence to infection prevention and control measures within community restaurants.

 Keywords: Prevalence; H. pylori; Risk Factors; Bamenda

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Citation

Citation: Asanghanwa Milca., et al. “Prevalence of H. pylori in Type 2 Diabetes Patients Attending the Nkwen District Hospital, Bamenda – Cameroon”.Acta Scientific Medical Sciences 9.6 (2025): 73-78.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Asanghanwa Milca., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.