STUDY OF PREVALENCE AND CONTRIBUTING FACTORS OF HEPATITIS B AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN REFERRED TO LABORATORY OF HEALTH CENTER OF BONAB

Hepatitis B is one of the major health problems in the world, and specially in developing countries. It accounts for 70 to 80 percent of chronic hepatitis in I.R. of Iran and is the leading cause of mortality from hepatitis. Taking into consideration the hepatitis B induced complications during pregnancy and its vertical transmission from mother to fetus makes it necessary to perform a study about prevalence and contributing factors of hepatitis B among pregnant women. Material and method: From January to march 2007, 187 first trimester pregnant women referred to laboratory of Health Center of Bonab for routine tests, and were included in this descriptive – analytic study. In addition to interview and filling forms, a sample of blood was taken, serum was separated by centrifuge and after packaging and numbering, was transported to a freezer and stored at -20°C until examination. Blood samples were examined by commercial kits and ELISA test. The data provided in questionnaires and test results were analyzed using SPSS software.

Results: The findings of this study showed that 3.2 percent of participants were positive for HBsAG. In addition, findings showed that there is a significant statistical relationship between hepatitis B prevalence and age at marriage and level of monthly income. We were unable to show any significant relationship between hepatitis B prevalence and age, job, type of residential home, level of education, husband's level of education, mother and father's levels of education, the number of previous conceptions, history of abortion, and living location.

Disscussion: Using the findings of this study we can put a special emphasis on the importance of hepatitis B screening tests during pregnancy in order for planning vaccination programs and prevention of pregnancy and labor complications induced by this disease.