Background Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) defined as
chronic inflammation of superficial mucosal layer of large intestine. The precise etiology of UC
is still unclear. There are many theories about its pathogenesis including genetic, immunological
and microbiological aspect. The role of microorganisms in the development of UC is an
interesting research area. One of the organisms suggested as pathogens for UC is Helicobacter
pylori (H. pylori). In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between H. pylori
infection and UC in Palestine.
Methods A total of 35 Palestinian patients of UC and 105 age-matched and gender-matched
controls were retrospectively studied from October 2017 to May 2018. Ulcerative Colitis
diagnosis was based on both colonoscopy and biopsy. The presence of H. pylori in the stomach
was checked by stool antigen test (HpSA) © . An interview-based data collection form was filled
for all patients with UC before the test. Ethical approval was obtained from the An-Najah
National University before starting the data collection. All participants gave informed consent
before the procedure.
Findings The overall positivity of H. pylori infection in UC patients was 14.3%, significantly
lower than the control group, 41.9% (odds ratios (OR)=0.23, 95% confidence intervals (CI):
0.083-0.643, P-value=0.003). Interestingly, presence of H. pylori was not correlated with
extension of UC (P-value=0.44). Moreover, there were no relationships between the presence of
H. pylori and age (P-value=0.97), gender (P-value=0.26), smoking cigarettes (P-value=0.08) and
medication regimen (P-value=0.80).
Interpretation The rate of H. pylori infection was significantly lower in UC patients compared
with the control group suggesting a protective role of H. pylori infection against the occurrence
of UC. The presence of H. pylori did not differ in terms of severity of UC and the prescribed
medications.
Funding Statement An-Najah National University.
Contributors The study was designed by IA and QA. SA and AS collected samples, analyzed
data and wrote the Abstract. QA did the procedure. SA and AS did the statistical analysis. All
authors have seen and approved the final version of the Abstract for publication.

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Declaration of interests We declare no competing interests.
Acknowledgements We would like to thank the staff of An-Najah National University Hospital
for allowing this study to take place. We also thank all the participants for their valuable time
and medical laboratory assistants.

Conference Title

12th LPHA conference, Lancet Palestinian Health Alliance

Conference Country

Palestine

Conference Date

Nov. 21, 2022 - Nov. 21, 2022

Conference Sponsor

lancet

Additional Info

Conference Website