title: Prenatal hepatitis B testing in a midsize southern city.
abstract: Universal prenatal screening for hepatitis B in low-risk populations remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to characterize the obstetric population of the city/county hospital in a midsize southern city. A total of 2013 patients were screened for hepatitis B surface antigen and antibody between June 1988 and February 1990, with 1893 negative for both, 105 (5.2%) positive for surface antibody, and 15 (0.8%) positive for surface antigen. Only 25% of the patients with positive results of hepatitis B screening would have been identified by the 1984 Centers for Disease Control risk group criteria, and no other predictive features were identified. We conclude that universal prenatal screening for hepatitis B is indicated in low-risk populations because of the high prevalence and the lack of predictive features.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Piper
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Maier
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014505:Urban Population
chemical_list: D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens