ABSTRACT
Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a major public health problem. The interaction between HBV and the host inflammatory response is an important factor contributing to liver damage and disease development. We investigate of the correlation between peripheral blood cell levels, HBV DNA, and the risk of transmission to the baby in pregnant women infected with hepatitis B. Methods: A multidimensional analysis was performed on data collected from 60 Vietnamese pregnant women and their babies (cord blood). Results: Taking the risk ratio test results of cord blood HBsAg as a positive probability, the boundary of maternal PBMC concentration is 8.03x106 cells/ml (with negative correlation) and for CBMCs is 6.64x106 cells/ml (with positive correlation). That means that HBsAg positivity in the blood may be related to the increasing of CBMCs and the diminution of maternal PBMCs. When the maternal viral load is higher than 5x107 copies/ml, the risk of being HBsAg-positive in cord blood is 123% (RR=2.23 [1.48,3.36]); when the viral load is lower than this baseline, the risk is decreased by 55% (RR=0.45 [0.30,0.67]) (p<0.001). Conclusions: With several steps of the analysis, this study found maternal peripheral blood cell levels and cord blood positively cor-related in pregnant women with a load lower than 5x107 copies of HBV DNA/ml. The study's results suggest that the role of PBMCs and HBV DNA in vertical infection is essential.
