OBJECTIVES: to evaluate the epidemiology of hepatitis B infection in pregnant women living in the Marche Region (Central Italy), according to the Country of origin. DESIGN: cross sectional observational study conducted from May 2011 to April 2012, which involved 13 of the 15 birthing centres in the Marche region. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: serological data of hepatitis B infection were obtained during the execution of mandatory prenatal screening. The total number of pregnant women was of 10,232 of which 7,669 were Italian (74.9%) and 2,563 were foreign (25.1%). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: rate of adherence to prenatal serologic screening and prevalence of hepatitis B infection in Italian and foreign pregnant women. The 95% confidence intervals were calculated using the exact method for proportions. The test for proportions was applied to make comparisons between groups significance level: 0.05). RESULTS: the rate of adherence to prenatal serologic screening and the overall prevalence of hepatitis B infection in pregnancy ware 98.6% and 0.8%, respectively. In foreign women, compared to native ones, differences of adherence to screening and the prevalence of infection were significant (96.7% vs. 99.3% and 2.7% vs. 0.2%). The highest prevalence was observed in pregnant women who came from the Western Pacific Region, Eastern Europe, and Africa (7.0%, 4.0%, and 3.3%, respectively). More than half of the cases of pregnant women, positive for hepatitis B surface antigen, were originating in Albania and China (60.6%). The prevalence of hepatitis B infection was significantly higher in pregnant women from China (8.1%), Albania (7.7%), Ukraine (7.2%), and Senegal (6.1%). CONCLUSIONS: the study emphasises the need to organise targeted interventions to facilitate access to prenatal screening programmes to foreign women for better control of hepatitis B infection in the Marche Region.
[Prenatal screening and the prevalence of hepatitis B infection in pregnant women in the Marche Region (Central Italy): differences between ethnic groups] / Ruffini, Ermanno; Gesuita, Rosaria; Compagnoni, Luigina; Tubaldi, Lucia; Infriccioli, Giovanna; Vianelli, Patrizia; Genga, Roberto; Bonifazi, Vitaliana; Dieni, Alessandra; Guerrini, Domenico; Basili, Gabriella; Salvatori, Patrizia; Decolli, Rosa; Leone, Luciano. - In: EPIDEMIOLOGIA E PREVENZIONE. - ISSN 1120-9763. - ELETTRONICO. - 40:2(2016), p. 111-5. [10.19191/EP16.2.P111.065]
[Prenatal screening and the prevalence of hepatitis B infection in pregnant women in the Marche Region (Central Italy): differences between ethnic groups]
GESUITA, Rosaria;
2016-01-01
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: to evaluate the epidemiology of hepatitis B infection in pregnant women living in the Marche Region (Central Italy), according to the Country of origin. DESIGN: cross sectional observational study conducted from May 2011 to April 2012, which involved 13 of the 15 birthing centres in the Marche region. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: serological data of hepatitis B infection were obtained during the execution of mandatory prenatal screening. The total number of pregnant women was of 10,232 of which 7,669 were Italian (74.9%) and 2,563 were foreign (25.1%). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: rate of adherence to prenatal serologic screening and prevalence of hepatitis B infection in Italian and foreign pregnant women. The 95% confidence intervals were calculated using the exact method for proportions. The test for proportions was applied to make comparisons between groups significance level: 0.05). RESULTS: the rate of adherence to prenatal serologic screening and the overall prevalence of hepatitis B infection in pregnancy ware 98.6% and 0.8%, respectively. In foreign women, compared to native ones, differences of adherence to screening and the prevalence of infection were significant (96.7% vs. 99.3% and 2.7% vs. 0.2%). The highest prevalence was observed in pregnant women who came from the Western Pacific Region, Eastern Europe, and Africa (7.0%, 4.0%, and 3.3%, respectively). More than half of the cases of pregnant women, positive for hepatitis B surface antigen, were originating in Albania and China (60.6%). The prevalence of hepatitis B infection was significantly higher in pregnant women from China (8.1%), Albania (7.7%), Ukraine (7.2%), and Senegal (6.1%). CONCLUSIONS: the study emphasises the need to organise targeted interventions to facilitate access to prenatal screening programmes to foreign women for better control of hepatitis B infection in the Marche Region.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
