DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2020.v08i02.010

Pages: 409-412

Background: Prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in pregnant woman worldwide is 1.5 to 2.5% whereas in India it varies from 0.2 to 7.7%. Vertical transmission of infection early in life is of grave concern as it increases the risk of progression to chronic liver disease, development of cirrhosis, and progression to hepatocellular carcinoma. It is now a well-accepted fact that universal immunization of the new-borns is the most effective way to eliminate HBV infection. Keeping these facts in mind we conducted a study to determine Hepatitis B virus (HBV) seroprevalence amongst pregnant women attending antenatal clinics of a tertiary care centre of Bihar. Material and Methods: The study was conducted from 1st April 2018 to 30th April 2019 and all pregnant females attending the ANC of a tertiary care centre of Bihar during the study period, who gave consent to participate in the study, were evaluated by taking detailed history, physical examination followed by routine laboratory investigations and HBs Ag testing by ELISA. Result: During the study period, out of a total of 1440 new asymptomatic ANC cases, 12 (0.83%) pregnant women were found to be seropositive for HBsAg. The highest prevalence was observed in the age group 26-33 years (50 %) ,followed by the age group 18- 25years (33.3%),followed by the age group 33-40years (16.7%). Conclusion: HBsAg seropositive pregnant women are mostly asymptomatic. In this study HBV seroprevalence amongst asymptomatic pregnant women was found to be 0.83%. So, universal screening of all pregnant women for HbsAg should be done as per the guidelines, irrespective of risk factors, to determine the accurate seroprevalence, prevent transmission of infection in their offsprings and to intervene timely before they progress to chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Prevention of transmission of infection in neonates would also be helpful to reduce the overall carrier rate in community.