Helicobacter Pylori Infection in Brazzaville: Comparative Study of Two Identification Tests

Abstract

Objective: To determine the place of two identification tests for Helicobacter pylori infection available in Congo. Materials and Methods: This was a comparative study carried out in two digestive endoscopy centers in Brazzaville from 1 January to 31 May 2018. Symptomatic patients referred for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were included systematically. The frequency of infection was determined from two identification tests, namely the rapid urease test in gastric biopsies and the detection of antigen (Ag) for the germ in the stool. The criterion for judging the presence of the germ in each patient was the positivity of at least one of the two tests. The McNEMAR X 2 test (p < 0.05) was used for the comparison of averages. Results: During the study period, 137 consenting patients were included, including 62 men and 75 women. The overall incidence of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection was 79.6% (109/28). Of the 137 patients, 18 were urease positive only; 6 were looking for Hp Ag in the stool, and 85 were in the two tests. The frequency of infection was 75.2% (103/137) with the rapid urease test and 66.4% (91/137) with the Hp Ag test in stool. The rapid urease test proved more reliable in the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection than the stool antigen test.

Clinical Efficacy of Prolonged First-Line Treatment against &lt;i&gt;Helicobacter pylori&lt;/i&gt; in Ouagadougou

“…The choice of the identification methods depends on the performance, the availability, the cost and other factors [17]. The pathological examination of gastric biopsies has high specificity and sensitivity [4] [5].…”