Detection of Helicobacter pylori by Histopathological Examination of Gastric Biopsies at A Tertiary Hospital in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori are bacteria implicated in numerous common chronic bacterial infections worldwide, and cause gastritis, peptic ulcer, gastric cancers and gastric malt lymphoma. The aim of the study was to detect H. pylori among patients referred for endoscopy at Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi by histopathological methods. Eighty (80) patients referred for endoscopy were enrolled into the study. Biopsy samples were collected from each patient, placed in 10% formal
saline and used for histopathological examination by standard techniques. Histopathological examination showed that 30 (N = 80; 37.5 %) of the patients had chronic gastritis, while 50 (N= 80; 62.5 %) had normal mucosa. In this study, there was a high prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in dyspeptic patients in Makurdi, Benue State of Nigeria. H. pylori infection was however found not to be associated with gender and age using Haematoxylene and Eosin stain ( 2 =1.516; p = 0.218). However,  there was significant association between the infection and gender using Giemsa and Immunohistochemical staining methods (2 = 4.9001; p = 0.027 and 2 = 7.591; p = 0.006).