SEROPREVALENCE OF HELICOBACTER PYLORI INFECTION AMONG DYSPEPTIC PATIENTS OF DIFFERENT BLOOD GROUPS SEEN AT AMINU KANO TEACHING HOSPITAL KANO, NIGERIA

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori remain one of the most common bacteria associated with some gastrointestinal diseases and the ABO antigens are increasingly gaining biological significance as they may be associated with predisposition to or protection from many diseases. The study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of H. pylori among dyspeptic patients of different blood groups with various gastrointestinal symptoms. Blood samples were collected from one hundred and fifty dyspeptic individuals and subjected to a one-step immune-chromatographic rapid test for the detection of antibodies (IgG) against H. pylori. The blood group of the samples was determined using the conventional haemagglutination technique and the result revealed that 114 (76%) of the blood samples were seropositive against H. pylori and females had a higher seroprevalence rate of 76.34% than males (75.44%). Generally, patients aged 31-45 years had the highest seroprevalence rate of 80.5%. The result also revealed that patients with blood group O+ had the highest seroprevalence (45.6%) of IgG antibodies against H. pylori. The study identified that a significant number of dyspeptic patients in the study area had H. pylori infection and that majority were of the blood group O. The study concludes that blood group O may be a predisposing factor in the establishment of H. pylori infection.