Prevalence and Factors Associated with Dyslipidemia among Patients with Helicobacter Pylori Infection Attending Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital in Uganda: A crossectional study

Background : Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death worldwide while dyslipidemia is key modifiable risk factor of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease accounting for 4 million deaths annually worldwide. Few studies assessing the relationship between H. pylori and dyslipidemia show changes in serum levels of lipids. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with dyslipidemia among patients with H. pylori infection. Methods : A cross-sectional study was performed between September to December 2022 at Fort Portal regional referral hospital, Uganda on 380 H. pylori infected patients. A validated questionnaire and 5-mL blood specimens were used to obtain data. Correlation analyses, chi-square tests, t-tests, and logistic regression were used to detect correlations and associations, with adjusted odds ratios and p values considered significant at values ≤0.05. Results : According to the individual lipid profile parameters in this study, decreased HDL-C (24.21%) was the most common dyslipidemia form, followed by elevated LDL-C (16.58%), elevated triglycerides (13.42%), and elevated total cholesterol (11.32%). The prevalence of dyslipidemia among patients with H. pylori infection was 41.58% at Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital. In this study, religion and education level were independently associated with dyslipidemia, that is, Muslims had a 5-fold increased risk compared to Pentecostal believers aOR 4.97 (95% CI 1.57-15.73, p 0.006), while primary education level conferred a tripled risk compared to tertiary level education aOR 3.21 (95% CI 1.17-8.78, p= 0.023). Conclusion : The high prevalence of dyslipidemia among H. pylori patients merits that country-wide awareness programs on dyslipidemia should be carried out, and that patients with H. pylori infection, overweight people, and hypertensive patients should have routine screening for dyslipidemia as they could potentially benefit from lipid-reducing regimens.