Efficacy of Antiviral Therapy in HBsAg-Positive Pregnant Women to Reduce Mother-to-Infant Transmission of Hepatitis B Virus

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesHepatitis B is a major health concern in Asia. Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection may cause hepatic cirrhosis and liver cancer. HBV is transmitted horizontally through blood and blood products and vertically from mother to infant. Perinatal infection is the main route of transmission in regions with high prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) carriage, and perinatal transmission leads to high rates of chronic infection. Therefore, it is important to prevent mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HBV1. The present study aims at comparing the use of antivirals (lamivudine vs tenofovir) in reducing MTCT.Materials and MethodsA total of 60 HbsAg-positive pregnant women were enrolled in the prospective study to test the efficacy of antiviral (lamivudine vs tenofovir —category B drug) to reduce mother-to-child transmission and monitor hepatitis B viral status in infant. HbsAg-positive pregnant women aged 18–43 years at gestational age between 28 and 32 weeks were followed up. They were tested for HBsAg, liver function test and HBeAg. In whom HbeAg was posi tive, HBV viral load was tested. Sixty patients with high viral load (>6  log copies/ml) were recruited in the study. Alternate patients were randomized into two groups. Group A comprised 31 subjects treated with lamivudine 100 mg daily starting from 28 to 32 weeks of gestation (third trimester) and continued to 1 month after delivery. Group B comprised 29 pregnant w ...
Source: The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology of India - Category: OBGYN Source Type: research