Follow-up study on relationship between hepatitis B e antigens and intrauterine HBV infection after immunoprophylaxis

  Objective   To investigate the effect of maternal or neonatal HBeAg positive on the intrauterine infection of HBV and the production of antiHBs in the infants.

  Methods   194 HBsAg-positive preg nant women were consecutively collected and investigated as subjects from ward of Maternal and Children Health hospital of Shaanxi province, and their infants were followed up.The relationship of maternal or neonatal HBeAg positive with intrauterine infection of HBV, chronicity and the production of antiHBs in the infants were analyzed.

  Results   Ten of 196 neonates were identified as occurrence of HBV intr auterine infection.The pregnant women's HBeAg positive and neonatal HBeAg positive were important risk factors of HBVinfection in uterus(RR=4.76, 5.53, respectively), and there were statistical significance(P < 0.05).One infant who was HBsAg/HBeAg-positive at birth, born to HBeAg-positive mother, developed to HBsAg carrier.The difference of absorbency value of antiHBs was no statistically significance between infants born to HBeAg-positive mothers and those born to HBeAg-negative mothers; and among infants of HBeAg-positive at birth or HBeAg-negative at birth during followed up at 1, 4, 7 months of age(P > 0.05).

  Conclusion   HBeAg may cross placenta freely, so it can't be used as an diagnosis indicators of HBV intrauterine infection.HBeAg in neonates or pregnant women played an important role in HBV intrauter ine transmission and its chronicity, but notin the production of antiHBs.