Seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus markers in pregnant women attending a public hospital in Navarra

OBJECTIVE
To design efficient massive immunization programs for newborns it is essential to know the prevalence of HBV infection in pregnant women. As a contribution to this knowledge the prevalence of HBV markers was studied in pregnant women attended at a public hospital in Navarra. An assessment was also made of the relationship between prevalence of HBV markers and other epidemiological factors.

METHODS
The gestational history was reviewed of 2,499 pregnant women aged 14-45 years attended at the hospital during 1991. The following factors were investigated: age, profession, job, and educational level of the woman and her partner, residence, Health Area, risk factors and serological markers (HbsAG, anti-HBs, anti-HBc, and, when appropriate, HBeAg/anti-Hbe.

RESULTS
The screening rate of HBsAg in the group of pregnant women was 70%; the prevalence of positive HbsAg was 0.70%. The respective prevalence rates of anti-HBs, anti-HBc, and AMP were 6%, 7.5% and 8.6%. The type of residence, social class and risk exposure had influence on the prevalence of positive markers.

CONCLUSIONS
The 70% of screening rate in the group of pregnant women is still far from reaching the goal of 95% intended in the Plan de Salud Infantil in Navarra for 1993. A prevalence of 0.70 for positive HBsAg was observed. No geographical differences were observed in the distribution of HBV markers, but its prevalence was influenced by the type of residence, social class and risk exposure. A discussion follows whether a massive immunization program form newborns in Navarra is warranted.

CITA DEL ARTÍCULO Rev Clin Esp. 1994 Oct;194(10):891-6