These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed


  • Title: Seroprevalence of hepatitis B and C viruses among HIV-infected pregnant women in Uganda and Rwanda.
    Author: Pirillo MF, Bassani L, Germinario EA, Mancini MG, Vyankandondera J, Okong P, Vella S, Giuliano M.
    Journal: J Med Virol; 2007 Dec; 79(12):1797-801. PubMed ID: 17935164.
    Abstract:
    A retrospective survey to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) infections was conducted on the samples of 247 African HIV-1 positive pregnant women who had participated to a mother-to-child prevention trial carried out in urban settings in Kampala, Uganda and Kigali, Rwanda. Hepatitis B markers studied were HBs antigen (HBsAg) and, if positive after confirmatory testing, HBe antigen/anti-HBe antibodies and HBV DNA. A fourth generation HCV enzyme immunoassay (EIA) was used for primary HCV screening. Positive samples were analyzed further with a second different EIA. Both for HBV and for HCV the use of confirmatory tests allowed the removal of frequent false-positive screening results. HBsAg was found in 10/246 women (seroprevalence 4.1%, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) 1.7-6.8): 8/164 (4.9%) in Uganda and 2/82 (2.4%) in Rwanda. HBe Ag was found in 33% of HBsAg-positive patients and HBV DNA was quantifiable in 71%. Anti-HCV antibodies were found in 5/247 women (seroprevalence 2.0% 95%CI 0.3-3.9): 1/165 (0.6%) in Uganda and 4/82 (4.9%) in Rwanda. There was no interrelation between HCV and HBV markers. There was no difference between patients with and without co-infection with HBV or HCV with regards to CD4+ cell count. Overall, hepatitis B and C co-infection was relatively infrequent in this group of pregnant women. However, since approximately 6% of HIV-positive women in these countries had a co-infection with one hepatitis virus, caution should be used in the monitoring of possible hepatotoxicity related to antiretroviral drugs in these populations.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]