Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Hepatitis B and C infection among pregnant women attending a government hospital in Delhi
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection during pregnancy is associated with perinatal transmission contributing to the pool of HBV and HCV infection. Pregnant women with chronic hepatitis B and positive Hepatitis B virus E antigen (HBeAg) have a 90% likelihood of transmitting the hepatitis B virus to their newborns. Vertical (mother-to-child) transmission is the leading cause of HCV infection in children. Though there is much data on the overall prevalence of HBV and HCV infection among the general population, only a few studies are focusing on the seroprevalence of HBV and HCV among pregnant women. Methodology: A cross-sectional, descriptive study conducted in Delhi. A total of 422 pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic for the first time were interviewed for risk factors for transmission and then tested for HBsAg and anti-HCV using rapid diagnostic test kit. Results: The seroprevalence for HBsAg and anti-HCV among the participants was 2.1% and 0.2%, respectively. Risk factor assessment revealed a significant association with the history of blood or blood product transfusion.Conclusion: Prevalence rates for HBsAg are higher than those reported in some previous studies and the national average. More in-depth research studies are needed to identify potential risk factors significantly contributing to the disease burden for the targeted approach to eliminate infection.
Downloads
Article Details
Section
How to Cite
References
1. Hepatitis [Internet]. [cited 2024 Mar 16]. Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/hepatitis#tab=tab_1
2. Global Hepatitis Report 2024. Action for Access in Low- and Middle -Income Countries. World Health Organization; 2024.
3. Mehta P, Reddivari AKR. Hepatitis. StatPearls [Internet]. 2022 Oct 24 [cited 2024 Mar 16]; Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554549/
4. Asafo-Agyei KO, Samant H. Pregnancy and Viral Hepatitis. StatPearls [Internet]. 2023 Mar 27 [cited 2024 Mar 16]; Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/ NBK556026/
5. Premkumar M, Kumar Chawla Y. Chronic Hepatitis B: Challenges and Successes in India. Clin Liver Dis (Hoboken) [Internet]. 2021 Sep 1 [cited 2024 Mar 16];18(3):111. Available from: /pmc/articles/PMC8518333/
6. Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B and C Factsheet [Internet]. [cited 2024 Mar 20]. Available from: https://nvhcp.mohfw.gov.in/common_libs/Approved%20factsheet_4_10_2021.pdf
7. Kumar A, Gupta R. Prevalence & risk factors for hepatitis C virus among pregnant women [Internet]. Article in The Indian Journal of Medical Research. 2007. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5809488
8. Gedefaw G, Waltengus F, Akililu A, Gelaye K. Risk factors associated with hepatitis B virus infection among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at Felegehiwot referral hospital, Northwest Ethiopia, 2018: An institution based cross sectional study. BMC Res Notes. 2019 Aug 15;12(1).
9. Israr M, Ali F, Nawaz A, Idrees M, Khattak A, Rehman SU, et al. Seroepidemiology and associated risk factors of hepatitis B and C virus infections among pregnant women attending maternity wards at two hospitals in Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. PLoS One. 2021 Aug 1;16(8 August).
10. Mittal G, Gupta P, Gupta R, Ahuja V, Mittal M, Dhar M. Seroprevalence and risk factors of hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus infections in uttarakhand, India. J Clin Exp Hepatol [Internet]. 2013 Dec [cited 2024 Mar 17];3(4):296–300. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25755517/
11. Upreti P, Singh RK, Arya V. Burden of HCV infection among pregnant women with assessment of risk factors and pregnancy outcome in HCV infected: A hospital based study from Uttarakhand. 2017;05.
12. Rajendiran S, Gopalan U, Jayakumar K. Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B infection among pregnant women in South India. Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol. 2016 Dec 20;6(1):249.
13. Pandey S, Lohani P, Roy R, Bhar D, Ranjan A, Kumar P, et al. Prevalence and knowledge of hepatitis B infection in pregnant women in a primary health center of Patna district, Bihar. J Family Med Prim Care. 2021;10(10):3675.
14. Sibia P, Mohi MK, Kumar A. Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Infection among Pregnant Women in One of the Institute of Northern India. J Clin Diagn Res [Internet]. 2016 Aug 1 [cited 2024 Mar 17];10(8):QC08. Available from: /pmc/articles/PMC5028548/
15. Dwivedi M, Misra SP, Misra V, Pandey A, Pant S, Singh R, et al. Seroprevalence of hepatitis B infection during pregnancy and risk of perinatal transmission. Indian J Gastroenterol [Internet]. 2011 Mar [cited 2024 Mar 17];30(2):66–71. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21499863/
16. Satsangi S, Dhiman RK. Combating the wrath of viral hepatitis in India. Indian J Med Res [Internet]. 2016 Jul 1 [cited 2024 Mar 16];144(1):1. Available from: /pmc/articles/PMC5116880/
17. Goyal LD, Kaur S, Jindal N, Kaur H. HCV and pregnancy: prevalence, risk factors, and pregnancy outcome in north Indian population: a case-control study. J Obstet Gynaecol India [Internet]. 2014 Oct 14 [cited 2024 Mar 17];64(5):332–6. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25368456/
18. Jahan N, Chaudhary N, Nigar A, Ahmad S, Khatoon R, Kumar A. Prevalence of hepatitis C among pregnant females attending antenatal clinic at a tertiary care hospital in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. International Journal of Advances in Medicine. 2020 Jan 23;7(2):314.
19. Giri S, Sahoo S, Angadi S, Afzalpurkar S, Sundaram S, Bhrugumalla S. Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Among Pregnant Women in India: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Clin Exp Hepatol. 2022 Nov 1;12(6):1408–19.
20. Ugbebor O, Aigbirior M, Osazuwa F, Enabudoso E, Zabayo O. The prevalence of hepatitis B and C viral infections among pregnant women. N Am J Med Sci. 2011 May;3(5):238–41.