UMass Worcester PRC Publications
UMMS Affiliation
Department of Population and Quantitative Sciences, Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine; UMass Worcester Prevention Research Center
Publication Date
2019-07-23
Document Type
Article
Disciplines
Behavioral Medicine | Community Health and Preventive Medicine | Diagnosis | Digestive System Diseases | Health Services Administration | Health Services Research | Maternal and Child Health | Preventive Medicine | Public Health Education and Promotion | Virus Diseases
Abstract
Importance: Screening for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection during pregnancy identifies women whose infants are at risk of perinatal transmission. Data from a nationally representative sample showed a prevalence of maternal HBV infection of 85.8 cases per 100000 deliveries from 1998 to 2011 (0.09% of live-born singleton deliveries in the United States). Although there are guidelines for universal infant HBV vaccination, rates of maternal HBV infection have increased annually by 5.5% since 1998. Children infected with HBV during infancy or childhood are more likely to develop chronic infection. Chronic HBV infection increases long-term morbidity and mortality by predisposing infected persons to cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer.
Objective: To update the 2009 US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation on screening for HBV infection in pregnant women.
Evidence Review: The USPSTF commissioned a reaffirmation evidence update to identify substantial new evidence sufficient enough to change the prior recommendation. The USPSTF targeted its evidence review on the effectiveness and potential harms of screening and the effectiveness and harms of case management to prevent perinatal transmission.
Findings: The USPSTF previously found adequate evidence that serologic testing for hepatitis B surface antigen accurately identifies HBV infection. Interventions are effective for preventing perinatal transmission, based on foundational evidence and observational studies of US case management programs. In addition, there is evidence that over time, perinatal transmission has decreased among women and infants enrolled in case management, providing an overall substantial health benefit. Therefore, the USPSTF reaffirms its previous conclusion that there is convincing evidence that screening for HBV infection in pregnant women provides substantial benefit.
Conclusions and Recommendation: The USPSTF recommends screening for HBV infection in pregnant women at their first prenatal visit. (A recommendation).
Keywords
hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, screening, pregnancy, recommendation
Rights and Permissions
© 2019 American Medical Association. Publisher PDF posted after 6 months as allowed by the publisher's author rights policy at https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/pages/instructions-for-authors#SecDepositingResearchArticlesinApprovedPublicRepositories.
DOI of Published Version
10.1001/jama.2019.9365
Source
JAMA. 2019 Jul 23;322(4):349-354. doi: 10.1001/jama.2019.9365. Link to article on publisher's site
Journal/Book/Conference Title
JAMA
Related Resources
PubMed ID
31334800
Repository Citation
US Preventive Services Task Force; Owens, Douglas K.; and Pbert, Lori, "Screening for Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Pregnant Women: US Preventive Services Task Force Reaffirmation Recommendation Statement" (2019). UMass Worcester PRC Publications. 144.
https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/prc_pubs/144
Included in
Behavioral Medicine Commons, Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Diagnosis Commons, Digestive System Diseases Commons, Health Services Administration Commons, Health Services Research Commons, Maternal and Child Health Commons, Preventive Medicine Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons, Virus Diseases Commons
Comments
Full author list omitted for brevity. For the full list of authors, see article.