Hepatitis C virus among high and low risk pregnant women in Dundee: unlinked anonymous testing

Objective To determine the prevalence of the hepatitis C virus among pregna nt women, to gauge the noninjecting, particularly sexual, risk of them bein g hepatitis C virus infected and to assess the potential impact of selectiv e antenatal screening. Population Antenatal clinic attenders and women undergoing termination of p regnancy in 1997. Setting Ninewells Hospital, Dundee. Design Unlinked anonymous hepatitis C virus antibody testing of residual se ra from specimens sent to the virus laboratory for routine serological test ing. The results were linked to non-identifying risk information. Results Overall anti-hepatitis C virus prevalence was 0.6% (23/3548). Preva lences among injecting drug users, non-injectors who had a sexual partner w ho injected, and those with neither risk respectively were 41% (7/17), 15% (5/33) and 0.3% (11/3498). Relative risks for being an injector and a sexua l partner of an injector respectively were 131 (95% CI 58-297) and 48 (95% CI 5-32). It is estimated that one of the 18 antenatal clinic attenders gav e birth to an infected child. Conclusion Findings suggest that non-injecting partners of injectors may be at considerable risk of acquiring hepatitis C virus sexually. Efforts to p romote the use of condoms among injectors and their sexual partners should be increased. Selective anti-hepatitis C virus screening of women who repor ted high risk behaviour would have failed to detect half the cases. Researc h to gauge the views of women of childbearing age on antihepatitis C virus testing is required.