MATERNAL-FETAL MEDICINE Disability and psychiatric symptoms in hyperemesis gravidarum patients I ˙ brahim Ezberci • Emine Seda Gu ¨ vendag ˘ Gu ¨ven • Is ¸ ıkU ¨ stu ¨ner • Figen KırS ¸ ahin • C ¸ ic ¸ek Hocaog ˘lu Received: 5 April 2013 / Accepted: 17 June 2013 Ó Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013 Abstract Purpose Nausea and vomiting is an important health problem which adversely affects the daily routine and quality of life in pregnant women. The purpose of this study was to measure the level of change in the quality of life, depression and anxiety in hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) patients in relation to social–demographic data and disease variables. Methods One hundred pregnant women hospitalized with the diagnosis of HG were included in the study. A total of 100 healthy pregnant women were also evaluated as the control group. All the patients in the study completed the socio-demographic data form, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-A and D) and Brief Disability Questionnaire (BDQ). Results The mean HADS-D subscale score was 7.09 ±3.91 in HG patients and 5.73 ± 3.32 in controls. The depression score in the HG patients were significantly higher than that of the control group (p = 0.009). The mean HADS-A subscale score was 7.73 ± 3.86, which was significantly higher in HG patients compared to 6.70 ± 3.31 in controls (p = 0.045). The mean BDQ score was 11.2 ± 4.40 in HG patients and 8.5 ± 3.31 in the control group of pregnant women, thus, significantly higher in the HG group as compared to controls (p \ 0.0001). In the HADS-D, 52 patients in the HG group and 40 patients in the control group scored above the threshold value (p = 0.089). In the HADS-A, 28 patients in the HG group and 20 in the control group scored above the threshold value (p = 0.185). Conclusions In patients with HG, a significant deterio- ration of physical and social health was encountered. HG disease is independent of any underlying psychiatric con- dition and adversely affects the quality of life of the sufferer. Keywords Hyperemesis gravidarum Á Maternal depression Á Obstetrics Á Pregnancy Á Quality of life Introduction Nausea with or without vomiting is very common in early pregnancy, so mild symptoms are considered as part of the normal physiology of the first trimester. However, these symptoms can significantly impact the pregnant woman’s quality of life, especially if they are persistent and/or severe [1]. Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is the term used to describe the severe form of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. It is generally described as an unrelenting, excessive pregnancy-related nausea and/or vomiting that prevents the adequate intake of food and fluids. If severe and/or inadequately treated, it is typically associated with loss of greater than 5 % of pre-pregnancy body weight, dehydration and production of ketones as well as nutri- tional deficiencies, metabolic imbalances and difficulty carrying out daily activities [2]. I ˙ . Ezberci Department of Family Medicine, Recep Tayyip Erdog ˘an University School of Medicine, Rize, Turkey E. S. G. Gu ¨ven Á I. U ¨ stu ¨ner (&) Á F. K. S ¸ ahin Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Recep Tayyip Erdog ˘an University School of Medicine, I ˙ slampas ¸a Mahallesi, S ¸ ehitler Caddesi, No.74, Rize, Turkey e-mail: kustuner@hotmail.com C ¸ . Hocaog ˘lu Department of Psychiatry, Recep Tayyip Erdog ˘an University School of Medicine, Rize, Turkey 123 Arch Gynecol Obstet DOI 10.1007/s00404-013-2934-5