title: Minimal adverse influence of maternal hepatitis B carrier status on perinatal outcomes and child's growth.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To clarify whether maternal HBsAg positivity may add risk for adverse neonatal outcomes and even affect child's growth.
  
  
  METHODS
  The perinatal data and neonatal outcomes in 380 HBsAg-positive and 428 HBsAg-negative women delivered during 2002-2004 were investigated. Furthermore, 271 (71.3%) children of HBsAg-positive and 297 (69.4%) of HBsAg-negative mothers were followed at ages of 5-7 years. Child's growth including weight, height, and health conditions were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of preterm birth was relatively higher in HBsAg-positive group (2.9% versus 1.4%), but it failed to reach statistical significance (p = 0.140). There was no difference in other neonatal outcomes including stillbirth (0.5% versus 0.2%), neonatal death (0.5% versus 0.5%) and congenital malformation (0.8% versus 1.4%). Logistic regression analyses demonstrated maternal HBsAg positivity had no adverse influence on neonatal outcomes. Abnormal health conditions, other than adverse neonatal outcomes, was identified in one child (0.3%) of HBsAg-positive mother and four children (0.9%) of HBsAg-negative mothers at follow-up (p = 0.444). No maternal death occurred in HBsAg-positive or -negative mothers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Maternal HBsAg carrier status does not add risk for adverse neonatal outcomes or child's growth; therefore, heightening surveillance for adverse neonatal complications in HBV-infected pregnant women may be unnecessary.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing Medical University , Nanjing , China .
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing Medical University , Nanjing , China .
authors.forename: Shu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: b Departments of Experimental Medicine and Infectious Diseases , Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School , Nanjing , China .|c Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular Medicine , Nanjing University Medical School , Nanjing , China , and.
authors.forename: Yi-Hua
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: d Department of Biostatistics , Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School , Nanjing , China.
authors.forename: Biyun
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing Medical University , Nanjing , China .|c Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular Medicine , Nanjing University Medical School , Nanjing , China , and.
authors.forename: Yali
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006128:Growth; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000821:virology; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000821:virology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D050497:Stillbirth
chemical_list: D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens
keywords: Child’s growth; hepatitis B virus; neonatal outcome; pregnancy