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HCV prevalence in pregnant women in the UK

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2001

A. E. ADES
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK
S. PARKER
Affiliation:
Department of Virology, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust, Great Ormond Street, London WC1N 3JH, UK
J. WALKER
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK
W. D. CUBITT
Affiliation:
Department of Virology, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust, Great Ormond Street, London WC1N 3JH, UK
R. JONES
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust, Great Ormond Street, London WC1N 3JH, UK
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Abstract

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The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence and epidemiology of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in pregnant women in the North Thames region, and in the UK in general. Demographic data were linked to neonatal samples prior to anonymization and testing by anti-HCV EIA, and with RIBA 3 confirmation. Risk factors for maternal infection were explored. Area-specific seroprevalence rates were multiplied into population sizes to estimate HCV prevalence in pregnant women in the UK. A total of 241/126009 samples were confirmed anti-HCV positive, and a further 40 were indeterminate, representing a seroprevalence of 0·19–0·22%; 51% of maternal HCV infections were in UK-born women (71% of the population), and 22% in women from continental Europe (5% of the population). Among European-born women, HCV prevalence was associated with birth in continental Europe, partner not being notified at birth registration, partner born in a different region to the mother, and inner city residence. Four of the 241 anti-HCV positive samples (1·7%) were also anti-HIV-1 positive. It was estimated that each year an estimated 1150 out of 730000 pregnancies in the UK would involve a woman infected with HCV (uncertainty range 660–1850), a prevalence of 0·16% (0·09–0·25%). On the basis of reported rates of mother-to-child transmission of HCV, this would represent approximately 70 paediatric HCV infections per year.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2000 Cambridge University Press