Hepatitis B awareness and knowledge in hepatitis B surface antigen-positive parturient immigrant women from West Africa in the Bronx, New York.
An increasing proportion of foreign-born residents in the Bronx, New York are African immigrants from West Africa, a region with a very high hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) prevalence. Charts of 114 HBsAg positive parturients who gave birth between 2004 and 2008 in a community hospital in the Bronx were retrospectively reviewed. Most were of West-African origin (88%). Acute hepatic inflammation was rare (4%). Active viral replication (Hepatitis B e-antigen positivity) was noted in a minority (7%), but in 3/5 (60%) HIV co-infected women. Among the West-African immigrant women who agreed to be interviewed (n = 39), only half (54%) had ever heard of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, and their knowledge of HBV was mostly incomplete. This study shows that pregnancy-related health interventions may offer unique opportunities to link such women to specialist care and initiate culturally sensitive HBV-relevant education for the index case and her family.
Department of Pediatrics, Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, 1650 Selwyn Ave. Suite 6D, Bronx, NY, 10457, USA.
Syed A
SA
Shah
Kelsey
K
Chen
Shashidhar
S
Marneni
Ghizlane
G
Benchekroune
Rafiu
R
Ariganjoye
Murli
M
Purswani
Ayoade O
AO
Adeniyi
Ronald
R
Bainbridge
Maria T
MT
Timoney
Stefan
S
Hagmann
D000328:Adult; D000354:Africa, Western / Q000208:ethnology; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens