Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a cause of a vaccine-preventable life-threatening infection of the liver. Worldwide, the estimated number of cases of chronic HBV infection is 296 million cases with about 820 000 deaths, mostly due to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The prevalence of HBV infection among pregnant women is estimated to be 1.5-9.5%. The most important risk factor of materno-fetal transmission is high viremia. Other factors include hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seropositivity, HBV S variant, and threatened preterm labor. Quantitative hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was postulated as a surrogate marker for HBV high viremia in pregnant women by many authors. This study aims to estimate the seroprevalence of HBV infection and the possible risk factors of HBV acquisition in pregnant women in Upper Egypt and to evaluate the predictive value of HBeAg and quantitative HBsAg as surrogate markers for high viremia in pregnant women.
The most common mode of HBV transmission is materno-fetal transmission mainly during labor. This study aims to estimate the seroprevalence of HBV infection and the possible risk factors of HBV acquisition in pregnant women in Upper Egypt and to evaluate the predictive value of HBeAg and quantitative HBsAg as surrogate markers for high viremia in pregnant women.