Abstract
To estimate the prevalance of hepatitis B virus infection in term pregnancies and the effectiveness of passive and active neonatal immunoprophylaxis in reducing vertical transmission. Two thousand two hundred pregnant women were screened for serologic markers of hepatitis B infection. The immune response after neonatal vaccination was also evaluated in a cohort of 2081 infants. After excluding the mothers who had received vaccination, at least one of the markers of hepatitis B virus infection was found to be positive in 346 (16%) mothers. Vertical trasmission of infection occurred in 11.6% of cases with HBsAg-positive mothers, with HBsAg disappearance from serum by the time of seroconversion. After completion of the vaccination cycle, 98% of babies from HBsAG-negative mothers had protective anti-HBsAg antibodies (anti-HBs titre > 10 mUI/ml). Serologic screening for hepatitis B in pregnancy is a prerequisite for active and passive neonatal immunoprophylaxis, which is effective in reducing vertical transmission of infection.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 99-102 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Italian Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Publication status | Published - 1996 |
Keywords
- Hepatitis B virus
- Pregnancy
- Vaccination
- Vertical transmission
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology