Relation between Helicobacter pylori infection and severe pre-eclampsia complicated by intrauterine growth restriction in a rural area in Egypt

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection with severe pre-eclampsia (PE) complicated by intrauterine growth restriction using rapid stool antigen test in a rural area in Egypt. Maternal stool samples were collected from 50 pregnant women diagnosed with PE-associated intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and from 50 women with healthy pregnancies (control) between 34 and 38 weeks of gestation. HP stool antigen (HPSA) was measured using a monoclonal antibody test, which is an immuno-chromatographic assay that uses antibody-coated colloidal gold. A significantly higher percentage of HPSA positive women were found among PE cases complicated by IUGR (76%) compared to healthy pregnancies (32%) (p<.0001). However, in the PE/IUGR group, neonatal weight was not significantly lower in HPSA positive patients compared to HPSA negative patients (p=.08). This led to our conclusion that Helicobacter pylori infection has a possible role in the etiopathogenesis of PE with IUGR with no evident effect on its severity.