Santos LKS, Apolonio JS, Cuzzuol BR, da Costa BT, Lima de Souza Gonçalves V, da Silva Júnior RT, Luz MS, Lemos FFB, Pinheiro SLR, Freire de Melo F. Helicobacter pylori infection in pregnant women: Gastrointestinal symptoms and pregnancy- related disorders. World J Clin Infect Dis 2023; 13(5): 49-57 [DOI: 10.5495/wjcid.v13.i5.49]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Fabrício Freire de Melo, PhD, Adjunct Professor, Full Professor, Instituto Multidisciplinar em Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Rua Hormínio Barros, 58, Candeias, Vitória da Conquista 45029-094, Bahia, Brazil. freiremelo@yahoo.com.br
Research Domain of This Article
Infectious Diseases
Article-Type of This Article
Minireviews
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Clin Infect Dis. Dec 28, 2023; 13(5): 49-57 Published online Dec 28, 2023. doi: 10.5495/wjcid.v13.i5.49
Helicobacter pylori infection in pregnant women: Gastrointestinal symptoms and pregnancy- related disorders
Luana Kauany de Sá Santos, Jonathan Santos Apolonio, Beatriz Rocha Cuzzuol, Bruna Teixeira da Costa, Vinícius Lima de Souza Gonçalves, Ronaldo Teixeira da Silva Júnior, Marcel Silva Luz, Fabian Fellipe Bueno Lemos, Samuel Luca Rocha Pinheiro, Fabrício Freire de Melo
Luana Kauany de Sá Santos, Jonathan Santos Apolonio, Beatriz Rocha Cuzzuol, Bruna Teixeira da Costa, Ronaldo Teixeira da Silva Júnior, Marcel Silva Luz, Fabian Fellipe Bueno Lemos, Samuel Luca Rocha Pinheiro, Fabrício Freire de Melo, Instituto Multidisciplinar em Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Vitória da Conquista 45029-094, Bahia, Brazil
Vinícius Lima de Souza Gonçalves, Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia, Campus Vitória da Conquista, Vitória da Conquista 45083-900, Bahia, Brazil
Author contributions: All authors equally contributed to this paper with conception and design of the study, literature review and analysis, drafting and critical revision and editing, and final approval of the final version.
Conflict-of-interest statement: No potential conflicts of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Fabrício Freire de Melo, PhD, Adjunct Professor, Full Professor, Instituto Multidisciplinar em Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Rua Hormínio Barros, 58, Candeias, Vitória da Conquista 45029-094, Bahia, Brazil. freiremelo@yahoo.com.br
Received: September 10, 2023 Peer-review started: September 10, 2023 First decision: October 9, 2023 Revised: October 21, 2023 Accepted: December 7, 2023 Article in press: December 7, 2023 Published online: December 28, 2023
Abstract
Helicobacter pylori (H. Pylori) is a gram-negative, flagellated and spiral-shaped bacterial pathogen that impacts approximately 46% among pregnant women globally and has been associated with various maternal-fetal complications. Iron deficiency anemia, fetal growth restriction, cardiovascular diseases, and insufficient nutrient absorption can be observed in pregnant women, as well as miscarriages and pregnancy-specific hypertensive disease, such as pre-eclampsia. Thus, the evidence supports the influence of H. pylori infection on fetal implantation/placentation failure, and positive strains of the cytotoxin-associated gene A of H. Pylori were reported as the most prevalent in these conditions. However, current knowledge indicates a relationship between this infection and the occurrence of hyperemesis gravidarum, characterized by frequent nausea and vomiting. Regarding the diagnosis of this bacterial infection, non-invasive approaches such as stool antigen test, urea breath test, and serological tests are more accepted during pregnancy, as they are easy to carry out and cost-effective. Finally, the bacteria eradication therapy should consider the risks and benefits for the pregnant woman and her child, with pharmacological intervention depending on the clinical presentation.
Core Tip:Helicobacter pylori infection during pregnancy is related to the development of disorders that may pose risks to maternal life and affect the proper development of the child. This bacterium has been associated with various complications such as hyperemesis gravidarum, iron deficiency anemia, pregnancy-specific hypertensive disease like pre-eclampsia, fetal growth restriction, and miscarriage. Therefore, this review provides a comprehensive overview of this condition, as well as its diagnosis and treatment, bringing together the most up-to-date information on the subject.
