title: Prevalence and risk factors for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among pregnant Brazilian women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence and the risk factors associated with HCV infection among women at childbirth, and to assess potential for infectivity of anti-HCV-positive women.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 6995 women were interviewed and screened for HCV antibodies. Association and logistic regression analyses were conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The anti-HCV prevalence was 1.5% by EIA-3 and 0.8% by RIBA-3; HCV-RNA (RT-PCR) was detected in 74% of the RIBA-positive samples. Blood transfusion, race (blacks), alcohol abuse, a history of STD and anti-HBc positivity were independent risk factors for HCV positivity. Except for parenteral exposure, independent predictors of anti-HCV were a history of STD, anti-HBc positivity, a sex partner with multiple sex partners and a sex partner with a history of hepatitis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of anti-HCV is higher in pregnant women than in blood donors. Sexual exposure may facilitate the spread of HCV and there is a high potential for mother-to-infant transmission.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Catholic University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. patell@correionet.com.br
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Pedro
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Rocha
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral