Factors associated with gastro-duodenal disease in patients undergoing upper gi endoscopy at the st. dominic hospital, akwatia

Background: Symptoms associated with gastro-duodenal disease are among the commonest complaints for which patients seek medical attention, with the annual prevalence of dyspepsia approximating 25%. Limited data exists regarding its associated risk factors despite accumulating evidence indicating that gastro-duodenal disease is common in Ghana. The aim of this study was to document the risk factors associated with gastro-duodenal disease of patients undergoing gastroscopy at the district hospital in Ghana.
Methods and Material: The study used a cross-sectional design to consecutively recruit patients referred to the Endoscopy Unit of the St. Dominic Hospital (SDH) with symptoms of gastro-duodenal disease during the study period. The study questionnaire was administered to study participants. Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori) infection was confirmed by rapid-urease examination at endoscopy.
Results: A total of 429 patients who undergone gastroscopy during the study period were included, of those, 187(43.6%) were males and the median age of 46(33, 62). About half (53.2%) of the patients had a history of NSAIDs use and 50.6% tested positive to H. pylori. Gastric ulcer had strong statistically significant associations with cigarette smoking (cOR=7.16, p= 0.012) NSAIDs use(cOR=3.74, p= 0.001) and combination of H. pylori and NSAID use(cOR= 4.79, p= 0.01) however duodenal ulcer and gastric cancer did not achieve the requisite significance level with H. pylori
Conclusion: H. pylori alone was not a major risk factor for gastro-duodenal disease. However, NSAIDs-related gastric ulceration has been shown to be common in H. pylori infected patients. It highlights the need for awareness of the adverse gastro-duodenal effects of NSAIDs.