Management of chronic hepatitis B in pregnancy

• Published in: Clinics in liver disease Vol. 14; no. 3; p. 495
• Main Authors: Buchanan, Corinne, Tran, Tram T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.08.2010
• Subjects: Antiviral Agents - therapeutic use; Female; Hepatitis B - congenital; Hepatitis B - drug therapy; Hepatitis B - epidemiology; Hepatitis B - prevention & control; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens - immunology; Hepatitis B Vaccines - therapeutic use; Hepatitis B virus - drug effects; Hepatitis B virus - immunology; Humans; Immunoglobulins - therapeutic use; Infant, Newborn; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical - prevention & control; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - drug therapy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - epidemiology; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - prevention & control; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - virology
• ISSN: 1557-8224
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cld.2010.05.008

Providing appropriate treatment and follow-up to hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected mothers and their newborns is critical in preventing HBV mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) and eradicating HBV infection. Although highly effective in preventing MTCT, standard passive-active immunoprophylaxis with hepatitis B immunoglobulin and the hepatitis B vaccine may have a failure rate as high as 10% to 15%. Antiviral treatment has been used during pregnancy and may decrease MTCT. Several issues must be addressed in future clinical studies before universal recommendations for antiviral therapy for pregnant women can be made.