Abstract
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a globally prevalent bacterium, infecting roughly half the global population, with higher prevalence rates in developing countries. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of H. pylori among symptomatic dyspeptic patients in Zakho City, Iraq, evaluate its association with various risk factors, as well as evaluate the effectiveness of treatment in curing this bacterium. Of a total of 150 dyspeptic patients, 50 who had received antibiotics were excluded, leaving 100 patients without antibiotics enrolled in this study. These participants, aged 11-67 years, visited the private Nawroz Laboratory in Zakho City, Kurdistan, Iraq, between June 2021 and October 2022. These patients were tested using the Helicoprobe 14C-Urea breath test and data on various factors, including age, gender, smoking, family size, drinking water source, education level, BMI, hemoglobin levels, and blood group, were collected through structured interviews. In this study, the prevalence of this bacterium was 50%, with no significant difference observed between males and females as well as BMI, smoking, source of drinking water, and blood groups while significant associations were found between infection and increasing age, low Hb levels, and educational level. Notably, 46.7% of patients failed to respond to standard triple therapy, possibly due to antibiotic resistance. The ineffectiveness of standard triple therapy for H. pylori highlights the need for tailored treatments based on local antibiotic resistance patterns to improve prevention and treatment strategies with further investigation studies.