Prevalence of Hepatitis E Virus Infection among Pregnant Women Attending the Ante-Natal Clinic of a Tertiary Health Care Centre

Abstract

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the most common cause of viral hepatitis in developing countries. HEV is particularly problematic in pregnancy due to the vulnerability of pregnant women to infections and often causes spontaneous abortion, premature delivery, maternal (≤ 20%), and infant mortality. While pregnant women attending ante-natal clinics are mandatorily screened for some infections, Hepatitis E, except in endemic areas, is not included in the protocol, even though the prevalence of Hepatitis E globally is increasing. This study aimed to determine the presence and prevalence of Hepatitis E among ante-natal clinic attendees at the Ladoke Akintola Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Osun State. A total of 100 consenting individuals were enrolled in the study between ages 20 and 45. Twenty-one percent of the participants enrolled were in the first trimester of their pregnancy, 33% in the second trimester, and 46% were in the third trimester of pregnancy. A structured questionnaire was administered to extract information on the participants’ demography and clinical history. A volume of 5ml of blood sample was collected from each consenting participant, and the obtained serum, stored at -20°C until ready for analysis. A double antibody sandwich HEV-ELISA technique was performed to analyze the sera for HEV antigen, using an ELISA Kit. Of the 100 samples analyzed, 8% (χ2=12.164, df=1, P=0.019) were positive for HEV Ag. The study only showed an association between the number of positive cases and a history of blood transfusion whereas, there was no such association with age, pregnancy stage, and educational status of the participants. Being an index study in Osun State, this study showed an 8% HEV prevalence rate, which is considered statistically significant.