Publication:

Incidence of hepatitis B virus infection and associated risk factors among pregnant women in SSMC, Mitford Hospital

Background Hepatitis B is a global health problem, affecting approximately 2 billion people worldwide, and remains a significant cause of chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, with pregnant women at particular risk due to vertical transmission. Therefore, this study aimed to provide a comprehensive assessment of the incidence of HBV infection and associated risk factors among pregnant women in a tertiary care hospital in Bangladesh.

Methods This cross-sectional analytical study at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sir Salimullah Medical College and Mitford Hospital (SSMCMH), Dhaka, Bangladesh, from August 2020 to January 2021, included 288 pregnant women who were interviewed for demographic, obstetric, and HBV risk factors, screened for HBsAg by rapid ICT with ELISA confirmation, and analyzed using Excel, Epi Info 6, and SPSS 17 (p<0.05), with ethical approval, confidentiality, and statistician-supervised quality assurance.

Results Of 288 pregnant women screened, 13 (4.5%) were HBsAg-positive. Positive women were older (30.7±3.4 years), all housewives, with business as the most common husband’s occupation. Significant risk factors were HBV-positive husband [4 (30.8%)] and family HBV history [2 (15.4%)]. Most positive women were para 2 [7 (53.8%)], had first para-abortion [8 (61.5%)], third gravida [5 (38.4%)], gestational age ≤37 weeks [9 (69.3%)], and irregular antenatal care [9 (69.2%)]. Among ICT-positive women, 12 (92.3%) were confirmed HBsAg-positive by ELISA.

Conclusions Hepatitis B virus remains prevalent among pregnant women in Bangladesh, highlighting the need for routine screening and identification of associated risk factors to ensure effective maternal and neonatal protection.