Prevalence Of Helicobacter-Pylori Infection And Clinical Characteristics Of Women With Low-Risk Early Pregnancy Attending Hospitals In Dodoma City

ABSTRACT

Background: Excessive nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, (Hyperemesis Gravidarum) HG, is a condition that can occur in early pregnancy. The aetiology is unclear and may be associated with H. Pylori's presence, leading to the extension of symptoms beyond early pregnancy or until delivery. The prevalence of H. Pylori in association with HG is increasingly recognized among developing countries compared to developed countries, while the threatening effect of pregnancy remains questionable. Objective: This study aimed at determining the prevalence of Helicobacter-pylori infection and clinical characteristics of women with low-risk early pregnancy attending hospitals in Dodoma City. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study, was conducted from February to June 2020. The convenience sampling method was employed to enroll pregnant women in the study. And semi-structured questionnaire assessed the severity of symptoms and demographic information. Cubital blood samples were collected for the H. pylori serology test, RBG, and MRDT. Data were analyzed by-SPSS version 20. Chi-square was used to determine the association between dependent and independent variables. Binary logistic regression analysis of statistical association variables was made to obtain the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). P< 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age of participants was 25.02 ±5.88 years. The prevalence rate of H. Pylori sera positive was 36.5% among the study participants. Out of 170 patients, 43 (25.3%) were prim gravida and 19 (11.2%) were multigravida. H. Pylori positive status was significantly associated with a poor response to antiemetic (p=.004), Conditions on admission (p=.026), facilities gone through (p=.045) increased frequency of vomiting (p= .01), and parity (p=.002) was statistically significant. Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of H. Pylori among Prime-gravida compared to multigravida women in our setting thus indicating the probability of infection occurring before conception, also most of the sera positive mothers were seen during the early weeks of gestation concurrently with the peak of early pregnancy symptom exaggeration and organogenesis.