Assessment of association between Helicobacter pylori infection and occurrence of anemia among pregnant women attending antenatal care in Kulito Health Center, Halaba Special Woreda, SNNPR, Ethiopia, 2018

Abstract

Background: Anemia in pregnancy is defined as a hemoglobin (Hb) concentration of less than 11gram (gm)/deciliter (dl) in venous blood. Globally it affects 1.62 billion people. According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, up to 56% of all women living in developing countries are anemic. In Ethiopia, the prevalence of anemia is 17% in the reproductive age group of women and 22% among pregnant women according to Ethiopian demographic and health survey report in 2016. In developing countries anemia is a major cause of maternal and child morbidity and mortality. Globally anemia contributes for 20% of all maternal deaths. Determining the magnitude and associated factors of anemia among pregnant women in a specific setting would help scale-up preventive and therapeutic measures of anemia. However, this information especially about the effects of HP infection on anemia is limited generally in Ethiopia and particularly in the study area. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the association between anemia and HP infection among pregnant women attending antenatal care follow up in Kulito Health Center, Halaba Special Woreda, SNNPR, Ethiopia, 2018. Material and Methods: An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 236 participants. An interviewer administered pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Measure mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) of the participants was measured. Venous blood and stool samples were collected and analyzed for determination of Hb concentration, serum HP antibody status and intestinal parasites infestation of the participants. SPSS version 21.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, USA) was used for data analysis. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were carried out to compute frequencies, means, proportion and relevant associations. From multivariate logistic regression, independent variables having a p-value <0.05 at 95% CI were considered as statistically significant. Results: Result: Among 236 pregnant women, the prevalence of anemia was found to be 65(27.5%) with 36(15.2%) of mild, 29(12.3%) of moderate and no severe cases of anemia. The overall prevalence of HP infection among study participants was found to be 129(54.7%) (95% CI: 47.961.4). Pregnant women with HP infection were 3 times (AOR=3.064, 95% CI: 1.336-7.027) higher to develop anemia as compared to those without HP infection. Study participants who have low inter-pregnancy gap (IPG < 2 years) were 2.8 times (AOR=2.863, 95%CI: 1.245-6.582) more likely to suffer from anemia when compared to having IPG ≥ 2 years. Pregnant women who were in the third trimester were 6.5 times (AOR=6.457; 95% CI: 1.276-32.729) higher to develop anemia as compared to those in the first trimester. Study participants with MUAC level ˂21cm was 2.6 times (AOR=2.595, 95%CI: 1.044-6.450) more likely to develop anemia as compared to participants with MUAC level ≥ 21cm. Conclusion: The present study revealed that the overall prevalence of anemia and HP infection was 27.5% and 54.7% respectively among pregnant women attending antenatal care follow up in Kulito health center. HP infection, IPG, gestational age being in third trimester and MUAC level were the predictors of anemia.