Knowledge and approach towards Helicobacter pylori diagnosis and management among primary care physicians in Cameroon: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Low- and middle-income countries have a high prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection (HPI). In Cameroon, the majority of HPIs are diagnosed and treated by primary care physicians (PCPs). We sought to assess the knowledge and practices of PCPs in the diagnosis and management of HPI in Cameroon.

METHODS: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was carried out in four randomly selected regions of Cameroon from November 2021 to June 2022. In each of the selected regions, PCPs were recruited by non-probability convenience sampling and interviewed using a pre-structured questionnaire. Chi-squared, Fisher's exact and Student's t-tests were performed for descriptive analyses. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine associations between knowledge and practice, with the model adjusted by age of the PCP, geographic region, number of patients and years in practice. Analysis was performed in SAS version 9.4 (SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA).

RESULTS: A total of 382 PCPs were included in the analysis. The majority (60.0%) were males between the ages of 20-29 y (64.1%). Most PCPs (80.9%) reported that HPI is the cause of gastroesophageal reflux disease and 41.8% reported that HPI is the main cause of dyspeptic symptoms. The dominant diagnostic tests used for HPI were serology (52.8%) and stool antigen (30.9%). The most frequently used first-line therapies were amoxicillin (AMX), clarithromycin (CLA), metronidazole (MNZ) and proton pump inhibitor (PPI) concomitant therapy (32.2%), AMX-CLA-PPI triple therapy (18.6%) and AMX-MNZ-PPI triple therapy (13.1%). Half of the practitioners (48.6%) treat HPI empirically, without positive H. pylori testing. About half of the PCPs (48%) do not request laboratory confirmation of H. pylori eradication following treatment.

CONCLUSIONS: There is inadequate knowledge and significant differences in the clinical approach towards HPI among PCPs in Cameroon. We recommend more teaching programs and continuous medical education on HPI.