Helicobacter pylori infection and the occurrence and severity of gastrointestinal symptoms during pregnancy

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the possible role of Helicobacter pylori infection in the occurrence and severity of gastrointestinal symptoms during pregnancy in a large group of mothers after delivery. STUDY DESIGN: Between November 2000 and November 2001, mothers were recruited after delivery at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the University of Ulm. Present H pylori infection was determined by 13C-urea breath test. Associations between gastrointestinal symptoms during pregnancy (sickness, vomiting, increased saliva production, heartburn) and H pylori infection were quantified by crude and adjusted odds ratios with 95% CI. RESULTS: Twenty-three percent of the 898 mothers had a current H pylori infection. Eighty-four percent of the mothers reported at least one of the evaluated gastrointestinal symptoms, and 30% of the mothers reported at least one physician visit because of the severity of these symptoms. None of the analyzed gastrointestinal symptoms showed an association to a current H pylori infection after an adjustment for the covariates, even after a virulence marker of H pylori infection was taken into account. CONCLUSION: This study does not support an involvement of H pylori infection in the generation of gastrointestinal symptoms during pregnancy