Prevalence of Helicobacter Pylori-Negative, Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Related Peptic Ulcer Disease in Patients Referred to Afzalipour Hospital

BACKGROUND Although Helicobacter pylori and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the main causes of peptic ulcers disease (PUD), recently the prevalence of idiopathic peptic ulcer (IPU) is increasing in most parts of the world. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of IPU in Kerman, the center of largest province in south-east Iran. METHODS We included 215 patients with peptic ulcer in our study. Combined methods rapid urease test (RUT), histology, and real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed on endoscopic samples of peptic ulcers. NSAID use was determined by medical history. SPSS software version 16 was used for data analysis. p value<0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS Of 215 consecutive patients with peptic ulcer, four (1.8%) had H.pylorinegative and NSAID-negative PUD. There were not significant differences between patients with IPU and patients with peptic ulcer associated with H.pylori or NSAIDs regarding the sex, age, cigarette smoking, and opioid abuse. CONCLUSION Our study showed that in contrast to other reports from western and some Asian countries, the prevalence of IPU is low in Kerman and H.pylori infection is still the major cause of PUD. We recommend a large and multi-central study to determine the prevalence of IPU in Iran.