HBsAg in parturients referring to gynecologic clinics in Kashan, 2002

Background: Transmission of hepatitis B can occur through different routes. Transmission through umbilical vein occurs in 10%, however, HBV is mainly transmitted during the delivery and the early months. In adults HBV infection tend to be chronic in 10%, however, in infants it would tend towards chronicity in 98% of the cases. The present study was conducted in gynecologic clinics in Kashan to determine the prevalence of HBsAg in parturients referring to these clinics. Materials and Methods: During this cross-sectional study 2000 parturients referred consecutively. ELISA was used to determine the HBsAg. Meanwhile, risk factors such as age, sex, family history of hepatitis B, previous history of surgery, etc were evaluated. Results: HBsAg was revealed to be positive in 7 cases (0.35%). There was a significant association between the family history of hepatitis B and level of education with HBsAg positivity. Conclusion: Although our findings revealed a relatively low prevalence of HBsAg, the necessity of a screening test does still exist.