Loading...
Effective methods for preventing vertical transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) from women positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) include immunoprophylaxis in infants (NEJM JW Gastroenterol May 9 2006) and administration of oral antivirals to highly viremic women during the third trimester of pregnancy. Whether mode of delivery affects risk for HBV transmission has been studied, but results are conflicting. A new study from China is the largest to date.
Investigators retrospectively examined the association between mode of delivery and HBsAg positivity at 7 to 12 months in 1409 infants born to HBsAg-positive mothers at a single hospital in Beijing, China. Nearly half of infants (48%) were delivered by vaginal birth, followed by e…