Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care in Alexandria

Background & Hepatitis B infection is a very serious public health problem. Perinatal vertical transmission is a common mode of transmission. Infants infected from their mothers will have a very high risk of developing chronic liver disease. Objective(s): To determine the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and associated risk factors among pregnant females in Alexandria. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted on 354 pregnant females attending the antenatal care clinics of two gynecology and obstetrics governmental hospitals (with high attendees) in Alexandria. This study was carried out from May 2016 through February 2017. A predesigned questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic characteristics and possible risk factors. All pregnant women were screened for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Samples positive for HBsAg were subjected to hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg); both were carried out via enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: The prevalence of HBsAg was 3.39% (12/354) among studied pregnant females. All HBsAg positive subjects were HBeAg negative. There was no significant statistical association between HBsAg positivity and age, gestational age, history of blood transfusion, previous operation or contact with viral hepatitis infected patients. Conclusion: The prevalence of HBV infection among pregnant women in this study setting is intermediate (3.39%) according to the WHO criteria. HBsAg positivity was not significantly associated with the sociodemographic variables or the studied risk factors. Increasing awareness of HBV transmission and regular screening of pregnant women for HBsAg are recommended.