Hepatitis C virus, hepatitis B virus and human immunodeficiency virus infection in pregnant women in North-East Italy: A seroepidemiological study

Background: Pregnant women can be considered a sentinel population, because they are a relatively unselected population whose prevalence data may be e xtended to the general population. Methods: A seroepidemiological study was carried out in Padua (North-East Italy) to assess the epidemiological aspe cts of HCV, HBV and HIV infection in 2059 pregnant women consecutively seen at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology during 1996. Out of them, 1804 (87.2%) were indigenous and 255 (12.8%) immigrants. Sociodemographical and sanitary data were collected for each woman. Results: The overall prev alence of anti-HCV was 1.9% (42.5% with detectable HCV-RNA); HBsAg was foun d in 1.0%; the prevalence of anti-HIV was 0.3%. Findings are substantially consistent with the epidemiological picture of such infections in the gener al population of our geographic area. A parenteral risk factor for HCV infe ction was found in 19 subjects (47.5%): 18 were intravenous drug users and 1 a blood transfusion recipient. HBsAg seroprevalence was higher in immigra nts than in autochthonous (3.1% vs. 0.7% respectively, p < 0.01). One of th e 6 anti-HIV positive women was intravenous drug user. Logistic regression analysis was carried out for each viral agent to determine which characteri stics were independently associated with infection: anti-HCV prevalence res ulted independently associated to Italian origin (OR: 3.7), unmarried statu s (OR: 2.7), unemployed condition (OR: 6.1) and history of previous abortio n (OR: 2.8). HBsAg prevalence was independently associated to unemployed co ndition (OR: 10.8), whereas HIV positivity was significantly related to the unmarried status (OR: 18.5). Conclusion: Our study pinpoints the need of s creening all pregnant women for HCV and HIV infection, in addition to the H BsAg screening which is compulsory in Italy.