A STUDY ON THE ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE AND ASSOCIATED RISK FACTORS OF HELICOBACTER PYLORI INFECTION ON POPULATION OF DARYA KHAN DISTRICT BHAKKAR

Abstract

Infection with Helicobacter pylori is a serious public health issue, especially in underdeveloped nations. A common gastric pathogen linked to a number of gastrointestinal conditions, such as peptic ulcer disease and dyspepsia, is Helicobacter pylori. The purpose of this study was to find out risk factors and how common H. pylori is in patients with dyspepsia at the District Head Quarter (THQ) Hospital in Darya Khan, Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 150 stool samples were taken from patients who had upper stomach pain and heartburn symptoms. Gram staining and biochemical assays, such as catalase, oxidase, and urease tests, were used to establish the presence of H. pylori after the samples were cultivated on selective media.

According to the findings, H. pylori was found in 10% (15/150) of the stool samples, with females having a greater prevalence (11.3%) than males (8.6%). An examination of the age distribution showed that the greatest number of positive cases occurred in those between the ages of 16 and 29. Incredibly, urban regions had a considerably lower prevalence (8.5%) of H. pylori than rural areas (11.5%). According to the data, the most notable risk factor includes poor sanitation which constitutes positive cases, family history, smoking, and unhealthy dieting habits. While amoxicillin and rifampicin exhibited high susceptibility rates of 80% and 86.7%, respectively, antibiotic susceptibility testing revealed resistance rates of 33.3% to metronidazole and clarithromycin. At 20%, moderate levofloxacin and 13.3% tetracycline resistance was observed.

These results highlight how urgently Pakistan needs to implement comprehensive public health programs and modernize treatment guidelines in order to properly manage H. pylori infections. Given the differences in H. pylori incidence between urban and rural populations, it is imperative to continuously monitor resistance patterns and take alternate therapy into consideration.