A correlative study of peptic ulcer and thrombocytopenia in Remo land of Ogun State, Nigeria.

Abstract

Introduction : Helicobacter pylori infection is one of the commonest bacterial infections in human world-wide. H.pylori is a significant cause of a number of intra-digestive and extra-digestive disorders with increased prevalence in the developing countries. Objectives : This study investigated the relationship between platelet count and peptic ulcer and also compared the results of the test subjects with the controls. Methodology: Sixty subjects (age: 27.53.2) were enrolled for the study which included forty newly diagnosed peptic ulcer patients from the Medical Outpatient Clinic of a tertiary health institution in Ogun State, Nigeria and twenty age-matched, apparently healthy individuals from the same geographical location were selected as controls. Platelet count analysis was done with BC-5300 Auto Haematology analyzer and the detection of serum H.pylori antibodies was done using diaspot rapid chromatographic immunoassay method. Data obtained were statistically analysed using ANOVA, Post-Hoc and Pearsons correlation. P 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The platelet count was significantly low in H.pylori infected peptic ulcer subjects when compared with both H.pylori negative peptic ulcer subjects and controls (p 0.05). There was no significant difference in the platelet count of H.pylori negative peptic ulcer subjects when compared with controls. There was a significant negative correlation between platelet count and H.pylori seropositivity (p 0.05) and also there was a significant positive correlation between platelet count and H.pylori seronegativity (p 0.05). Conclusion: The study concluded that, not all cases of peptic ulcer are associated with thrombocytopenia however, thrombocytopenia in peptic ulcer subjects, is solely associated with H.pylori infection.