Subject(s)
Hepatitis B/prevention & control , Mass Screening/methods , Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/virology , Prenatal Diagnosis/methods , Adult , Denmark/epidemiology , Denmark/ethnology , Female , Hepatitis B/epidemiology , Hepatitis B/transmission , Hepatitis B Surface Antigens/blood , Hepatitis C/epidemiology , Hepatitis C/prevention & control , Hepatitis C/transmission , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical/prevention & control , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/diagnosis , Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/epidemiology , Prevalence , Risk Factors , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
The prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriage in Denmark is unknown, but expected to be low (0.1%). This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of selective antenatal screening for HBV infection and the epidemiology of HBV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) among pregnant women. 4098 women were included in the study. Blood tests were examined for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), anti-hepatitis B core antigen (HBc) and anti-HCV. Case records were studied to evaluate whether patients at risk for HBV infection had been tested. Among the 4098 women, 18 10.4%, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.3-0.71 were HBsAg positive. All had a risk factor for HBV infection. Only 13 (72%) were identified as HBsAg positive in the selective screening programme. 115 women (2.8%, 95% CI 2.3-3.4) were anti-HBc positive only. 95 (83%) were at risk for HBV. Only 72 of these (63%) were tested for HBsAg. The screening programme in this area of Denmark did not pick up one-third of pregnant women at risk of HBV.
