A Demographic and Etiological Study of Dyspepsia Patients Presenting to a Rural Hospital in South-West Rajasthan

Abstract

Introduction: Dyspepsia is one of the most common complaints of patients coming to a hospital causing great economic
and social burden over a society. A proper understanding of its causes in a specific region can greatly help in reducing
the cost of healthcare and in increasing productivity. Material and methods: A total of 128 patients were included in the
study. Proper history-taking, physical examination and relevant investigations including upper gastrointestinal endoscopy
(UGIE) + rapid urease test (RUT) and ultrasound abdomen were done to evaluate the causes of dyspepsia. Rome III diagnostic
criteria-based questionnaire was used to find out functional dyspepsia. Results: Amongst the various causes of dyspepsia,
gastroduodenitis was the most common cause of dyspepsia (89%), out of which 77.2% were Helicobacter pylori positive, and
as many as 22.8% were H. pylori negative. On the other hand, of all the patients who were H. pylori positive (total 91 patients,
i.e., 71.1%), 96.7% (88 out of 91) patients had gastroduodenitis and/or peptic ulcer disease. Functional dyspepsia was found
only in 8.6% patients. Majority of patients (60.2%) consumed drinking water from reverse osmosis supply. UGIE could lead
to a definitive diagnosis in as many as 91.5% cases. Conclusion: In the South-West Rajasthan region, H. pylori infection has a
strong correlation with gastroduodenitis and peptic ulcer disease although all gastroduodenitis patients may not be H. pylori
positive. Functional dyspepsia is not a very common entity in this region. In our study, reverse osmosis water seems to
provide no protection from dyspepsia.