Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) Infection-Associated Anemia in the Asir Region, Saudi Arabia

Omar A Al Mutawa; Mohammad Asrar Izhari; Raed A Alharbi; Abdulmajeed Abdulghani A Sindi; Abdullah M Alqarni; Foton E Alotaibi; Ahmed R A Gosady; Daifallah M M Dardari; Abdulrahman M Almutairi; Mohammed Alshehri; Ahmed I E Athathi

doi:10.3390/diagnostics13142404

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) Infection-Associated Anemia in the Asir Region, Saudi Arabia

Diagnostics (Basel). 2023 Jul 18;13(14):2404. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics13142404.

Affiliations

¹ Medical Laboratory Department Southern Region Armed Forces Hospital, Khamis Mushait 62413, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Baha University, Al-Baha 65528, Saudi Arabia.
³ Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Baha University, Al-Baha 65528, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Genetic Counseling, Al-Faisal University, Riyadh 11533, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Laboratory Department, Baish Primary Healthcare, Jazan 87386, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Laboratory Department, Baish General Hospital, Jazan 87597, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Health Facilities Infection Control Department, General Directorate of Health Al-Baha, Al-Baha 65522, Saudi Arabia.
⁸ Department of Community Health Sciences (Public Health), Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Baha University, Al-Baha 65528, Saudi Arabia.
⁹ Laboratory Department, King Fahad Central Hospital, Jazan 85534, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

H. pylori (ubiquitous) and anemia together represent one of the growing health concerns globally. Gastroduodenal sequelae of H. pylori infection are distinguished; however, for the H. pylori infection and its implication in the development of anemia, iron has a significant health impact. We aimed to evaluate H. pylori infection-associated anemia by employing a logistic regression analysis model. A retrospective (case-control) study design-based assessment of the H. pylori associated-anemia. The study area was geo-referenced by QGIS/QuickMapServies. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were accomplished using the R-base-R-studio (v-4.0.2)-tidyverse. A p-value < 0.05 was the statistical significance cut-off value. A ggplot2 package was used for data representation and visualization. Mean ± SD age, Hb, MCV, ferritin, and RBC for overall study participants were measured to be 44.0 ± 13.58, 13.84 ± 2.49, 83.02 ± 8.31, 59.42 ± 68.37, and 5.14 ± 0.75, respectively. Decreased levels of Hb (infected vs. uninfected: 13.26 ± 2.92 vs. 14.42 ± 1.75, p < 0.001) ferritin (infected vs. uninfected: 48.11 ± 63.75 vs. 71.17 ± 71.14, p < 0.001), and MCV (infected vs. uninfected: 81.29 ± 9.13 vs. and 84.82 ± 6.93, p < 0.05) were measured to be associated with H. pylori infection when compared with H. pylori uninfected control group. Moreover, the magnitude (prevalence) of anemia (infected vs. uninfected: 78% vs. 21%, p < 0.001), iron deficiency anemia (IDA) (infected vs. uninfected: 63.3% vs. 36.6%, p < 0.001), and microcytic anemia (infected vs. uninfected: 71.6% vs. 46.1%, p < 0.001) were significantly different among the H. pylori-infected participants. The higher likelihood of developing anemia (AOR; 4.98, 95% CI; 3.089-8.308, p < 0.001), IDA (AOR; 3.061, 95% CI; 2.135-4.416, p < 0.001), and microcytic anemia (AOR; 3.289, 95% CI; 2.213-4.949, p < 0.001) by 398%, 206.1%, and 229%, respectively, was associated with H. pylori-infected. We recommend the regular monitoring of hematological parameters and eradication of H. pylori infection to minimize the extra-gastric health consequences of H. pylori infection.

Keywords: Helicobacter pylori; IDA; anemia; infection; logistic regression.

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.