Background: Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection are the common diseases. The prevalence of HP infection vary significantly between countries to countries and ethnic groups in the same country. Aim: To determine the prevalence of HP infection, the rate of pathologic lesions of PUD
and the related factors in the Ede ethnic patients in the Provincial hospital of Dak Lak. Materials and Methods: cross-sectional study has been carried out on 240 Ede ethnic patients in the Provincial hospital of Dak Lak from April to October 2010. All patients were carried out upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and biopsy to identify the pathologic lesions evaluated according to the Sydney classification system. The paper determined the relationship between HP infection and pathologic lesions, and environmental, social factors. Results: The prevalence of HP infection was 60.4 percent. The rate of pathologic lesions of PUD according to mild, moderate and severe degree respectively as followed: the rate of chronic gastritis was 100 percent (75.0 percent
23.8 percent
1.2 percent), active gastritis: 65.8 percent (62.0 percent
28.5 percent
9.5 percent), atrophic gastritis: 36.25 percent: (66.7 percent
25.3 percent
8.0 percent), intestinal metaplasia: 25 percent (all lesions were mild). Gastritis alone occured 97.5 percent
gastritis associated with ulcer occupied 2.5 percent. The common lesions of gastritis found by endoscopy were erythematous/exudative gastritis (53.8 percent) and flat erosive gastritis (24.6 percent). Independently related factors to predict the HP infection: pathologic lesions of gastritis on endoscopy: erythematous/exudative gastritis (PR 1.8
CI 95 percent 1.1-3.0), atrophic gastritis (PR 1.9, CI 95 percent 1.1-3.6) and flat erosive gastritis (PR 2.1, CI 95 percent 1.3-3.2)
polulation and social factors: uncommom hand washing (PR 1.6, CI 95 percent 1.1-2.5) and the number of people living together (PR 1.3, CI 95 percent 1.1-1.6). Conclusions: although the HP infection rate in Ede patients was higher than that in Kinh patients but the ulcer rate was lower in the Ede patients. It is nessesary to educate Ede communities about health care and to improve their living condition.