Effect of pregnancy on the activity and infectivity of hepatitis B virus in women with chronic hepatitis B infection
TTH Lao, TY Leung, HLY Chan, VWS Wong
Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
 
 
Key Messages
1. One-half of hepatitis B surface antigen carrier mothers demonstrated hepatitis B virus (HBV) activity during pregnancy.
2. Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) was the best maternal marker for HBV activity in pregnancy, but 59% of mothers with circulating HBV DNA were HBeAg negative.
3. In mothers with no detectable HBV DNA in the first trimester, viral activity still increased from 19.6% in the second trimester to 30.4% in the third trimester to 50% after delivery, but none of their infants had in-utero HBV infection.
4. In-utero HBV infection was evident in 8% of infants, and was related to maternal HBeAg status and high HBV DNA level during all three trimesters.