Comparative Prevalence of Asymptomatic Intestinal Bleeding and Helicobacter pylori Infection among Adolescents in South Eastern Nigeria

Helicobacter pylori has been deeply implicated in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and duodenal ulcer. Proper diagnosis and determination of risk factors for acquiring this infection is pertinent in containing it. The study was aimed at determining the prevalence of asymptomatic intestinal bleeding and Helicobacter pylori infection among adolescents of Ebonyi State, Nigeria. The research was a cross sectional study, carried out among students of Ebonyi State University. Samples were randomly collected from 420 students. The blood samples were analyzed for the presence of Helicopter pylori antibody by chromatographic immunoassay while the faecal samples were analyzed for the presence of blood using faecal occult blood test kit. Out of the 420 subjects, 349 were positive of either H. pylori antibody, intestinal bleeding or both while 71 were negative, 303 (72.1%) were Helicopter Pylori seropositive and 134 (31.9%) were positive of faecal occult blood test, whereas, 88(21.0%) were positive of both Helicopter pylori and faecal occult blood. The males were found to be significantly more exposed to Helicopter pylori (p<0.05). Participants within the ages of 20 years and below were found to be significantly more susceptible to Helicobacter pylori infection (p<0.05). A significant association was found between sources of drinking water as risk factor and seropositivity of Helicopter pylori antibody (p<0.05). In conclusion, the high prevalence of positivity recorded in this study constitute a problem of public health concern. The need for proper screening and diagnosis are therefore advocated for better management of intestinal bleeding.