Helicobacter pylori infection and related factors among pregnant women at Debre Tabor General Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia, 2021: Anemia highly related with H. pylori

INTRODUCTION: Infection with Helicobacter pylori is one of the most frequent chronic bacterial illnesses in humans. Pregnant mothers are the populations most vulnerable to H. pylori infection. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of H. pylori infection and associated factors among pregnant mothers having antenatal care at Debre Tabor General Hospital, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia, 2021. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Institutional based cross-sectional study design was conducted on 290 pregnant women. The stool antigen test is used to detect the active presence of the H. pylori antigen in the feces. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were carried out to assess potential factors responsible for H. pylori infection. Variables associated with the prevalence of H. pylori infection with (p-value < 0.05) were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The prevalence of H. pylori infection was 17.9%, with 95% (CI: 13.4%–22.3%). In all, 65.4% of H. pylori infection positive mothers had gastrointestinal problems and developed symptoms like abdominal cramp and diarrhea 1 (1.92%), loss of appetite 10 (19.23%), hiccups 9 (17.31%), abdominal pain which worsens when the stomach is empty 19 (36.54%), indigestion, and frequent heart burn 13 (25%) during the present pregnancy. Lesser frequency of handwashing practice AOR = 3.09, 95% CI (1.14–8.34), use of soap for handwashing AOR = 0.44, 95% CI (0.19–0.98), eating unwashed vegetables and fruits AOR = 2.279, 95% CI (1.03–5.04), and not being anemic AOR = 0.268, 95% CI (0.10– 0.71), were significantly associated with H. pylori infection. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the prevalence of H. pylori infection among pregnant women was low compared with that of the general population. Although in the lower prevalence, the level of anemia was strongly associated with the prevalence of H. pylori infection. This implies that H. pylori infection is a public health problem.