Maternal hepatitis B virus carrier status and pregnancy outcomes: a prospective cohort study.
BACKGROUND
Infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) in pregnant women may be a threat for both mothers and fetuses. This study was performed to explore the impact of maternal HBV carrier status on pregnancy outcomes.


METHODS
We conducted a prospective cohort study at the Obstetrics & Gynecology Hospital of Nantong University between January 1, 2012 and September 30, 2015. A consecutive sample of 21,004 pregnant women, 513 asymptomatic HBV carriers and 20,491 non-HBV controls, was included in this study. The main outcomes of interest were selected pregnancy outcomes including miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm birth (PTB), gestational diabetes (GDM), intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), preterm premature rupture of the membrane (PPROM), low birth weight (LBW), small for gestational age (SGA) and Apgar scores. The incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes between asymptomatic HBV carriers and non-HBV controls were compared using the chi-square test and logistic regression. P values were two sided, and P <0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance.


RESULTS
The incidences of stillbirth, PTB, GDM, ICP, PPROM, LBW, and SGA were similar between the HBV carrier and non-HBV groups. The proportion of miscarriage was significantly higher among the HBV carriers than the controls (9.36% vs 5.70%; P <0.001). After using multivariate modelling to adjust for possible socio-demographical variables and obstetric complications, women with HBV carrier status were still more likely to have miscarriage (adjusted OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.23-2.38). In addition, the incidences of other maternal and neonatal outcomes were similar between the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Maternal HBV carrier status may be an independent risk factor for miscarriage and careful surveillance is warranted.
Department of Obstetrics, The Obstetrics & Gynecology Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China.
Ai-Ming
AM
Cui
Department of Obstetrics, The Obstetrics & Gynecology Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China.
Xiao-Yan
XY
Cheng
Center for Liver Diseases, Nantong Third People's Hospital, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China.
Jian-Guo
JG
Shao
Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Obstetrics & Gynecology Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China.
Hai-Bo
HB
Li
Department of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, School of Public Health, Nantong University, 9 Se-Yuan Road, Nantong, Jiangsu, 226000, China.
Xu-Lin
XL
Wang
Department of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, School of Public Health, Nantong University, 9 Se-Yuan Road, Nantong, Jiangsu, 226000, China.
Yi
Y
Shen
Department of Obstetrics, The Obstetrics & Gynecology Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China.
Li-Jing
LJ
Mao
Department of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, School of Public Health, Nantong University, 9 Se-Yuan Road, Nantong, Jiangsu, 226000, China.
Sheng
S
Zhang
Department of Obstetrics, The Obstetrics & Gynecology Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China.
Hai-Yun
HY
Liu
Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Science, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Lei
L
Zhang
Center for Liver Diseases, Nantong Third People's Hospital, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China. tonygqin@ntu.edu.cn.|Department of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, School of Public Health, Nantong University, 9 Se-Yuan Road, Nantong, Jiangsu, 226000, China. tonygqin@ntu.edu.cn.
Gang
G
Qin
D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D000328:Adult; D001034:Apgar Score; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D002780:Cholestasis, Intrahepatic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D005322:Premature Rupture of Fetal Membranes / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age; D016015:Logistic Models; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000821:virology*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D050497:Stillbirth / Q000453:epidemiology
Hepatitis B virus infection; Miscarriage; Pregnancy