Abstract
In this study, we aimed to investigate the vaccination rate in Turkish and Syrian pregnant women who gave birth in our hospital, research the difference before and after vaccination, compare these results with other studies conducted in our country and be beneficial to physicians in the follow up of this patient group, who we started to encounter rather frequently in recent months. The data of pregnant women who were referred to Kanuni Sultan Suleyman Education and Research Hospital between January and December 2015 were retrospectively investigated. A total of 4186 pregnant women, 2158 of Syrian and 2028 of Turkish, were included in this study. The rate of hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) positivity was 1.4% among all pregnant women. This value was found to be 1.8% among Turkish women and 1.1% among Syrian women. Evaluation of age distribution showed that there were 30 Turkish pregnant women born after the inclusion of vaccine into the program (1998 and later), of which one was HbsAg positive. While out of 958 Syrian women born in 1991 and later, 10 were HbsAg positive. This study shows that the surveillance of hepatitis among pregnant women, including refugees and locals is important to protect fetus and guide in planning of preventive measures such as administration of vaccines and immunoglobulins. Timely prevention may decrease morbidity and mortality caused by hepatitis viruses.
Highlights
In this study, we aimed to investigate the vaccination rate in Turkish and Syrian pregnant women who gave birth in our hospital, research the difference before and after vaccination, compare these results with other studies conducted in our country and be beneficial to physicians in the follow up of this patient group, who we started to encounter rather frequently in recent months
Viral hepatitis is still an important public health issue and approximately two million people in the world are reported to be infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV)
HBV DNA levels may change due to hormonal effects and mother-to-baby transmission may be seen in utero, during birth or after birth
Summary
We aimed to investigate the vaccination rate in Turkish and Syrian pregnant women who gave birth in our hospital, research the difference before and after vaccination, compare these results with other studies conducted in our country and be beneficial to physicians in the follow up of this patient group, who we started to encounter rather frequently in recent months. Results: A total of 4186 pregnant women, 2158 of Syrian and 2028 of Turkish, were included in this study. The rate of hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) positivity was 1.4% among all pregnant women. This value was found to be 1.8% among Turkish women and 1.1% among Syrian women. Evaluation of age distribution showed that there were 30 Turkish pregnant women born after the inclusion of vaccine into the program (1998 and later), of which one was HbsAg positive. Conclusion: This study shows that the surveillance of hepatitis among pregnant women, including refugees and locals is important to protect fetus and guide in planning of preventive measures such as administration of vaccines and immunoglobulins. The results of liver function test and HBV DNA levels must be monitored closely during pregnancy in order to determine the progress of the liver disease in HBV infected patients [2]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
