Assessment of the environmental risk factors for a gastric ulcer in northern Ghana

Numerous risk factors have been implicated in the development of a gastric ulcer. Common risk factors are Helicobacter pylori infection, chronic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory intake, and alcohol consumption. The aim of the current study was to identify environmental risk factors for a gastric ulcer in northern Ghana. The data for this retrospective study were obtained from 2035 patient records from the Minimal Access Therapy and Operative Endoscopy unit of the Tamale Teaching Hospital in Tamale, Ghana from 2010 to 2014. A separate questionnaire was administered to assess the environmental risk factors. The rapid urease test was used to determine the presence of H. pylori. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20.0 was used to analyse the data. Univariate and bivariate analyses were performed, and the results were presented in tables provided. The Chi-square values of the bivariate analysis were considered statistically significant when P < 0.05. Bivariate analysis revealed a strong association between gastric ulcer and various risk factors such as smoking (P = 0.001, χ2 = 27.3), fasting (P = 0.001, χ2 = 42.6), H. pylori infection (P = 0.01, χ2 = 19.9), and alcohol consumption (P = 0.001, χ2 = 30.6). There was no association between the traditional herbal preparation usage (P = 0.251, χ2 = 1.8) and the gastric ulcer. Environmental risk factors responsible for the development of a gastric ulcer in people of the northern part of Ghana show a similar pattern to other geographical regions of the world.