Nutritional and behavioral risk factors for gastritis in Kazakhstani population: preliminary results.

Abstract

Gastritis is characterized as inflammation in stomach, and it can be acute and chronic. Acute gastritis can go away in several days, while chronic gastritis can persist for years. The latter is implicated with increased risk for gastric cancer. Risk factors for gastritis include H.pylori infection, family history, psychological stress, use of drugs, and lifestyle habits. Since Kazakhstan holds the fifth place among the highest stomach cancer mortality rates worldwide, epidemiology of risk factors for gastric cancer and its potential precursors are needed to study. To address this issue, lifestyle habits and family history were studied for association with chronic non-atrophic gastritis. The survey on nutrition and behavioral habits was given to patients, who underwent gastroendoscopy in two hospitals of Astana, and then further analyzed with bivariate non-parametric and bivariate logistic regression tests. Data from total of 19 gastritis patients and 14 non-gastritis patients were obtained. Though no statistical significance was found during analysis, higher frequency of alcohol drinking, kazy/shuzhyk eating, drinking piped water, having family history of cancer, and hypertension were detected in gastritis patients comparing with controls. Kumys/shubat drinking, eating fresh fruits, and overweight and obesity was less present in gastritis group than in controls. These findings supported existing knowledge on risk factors for gastritis and gave more specific evidence for chronic non-atrophic gastritis. Moreover, more research is needed on larger sample size to elucidate role of food in risk of developing chronic gastritis in people living in Kazakhstan.