Prevalence rate of hepatitis B virus in pregnancy: Implications from a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published from 2000 to 2016

Background: Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is one of the most serious infectious diseases and represents a major global health issue worldwide. It can be transmitted vertically and horizontally through contact with infected blood or body fluids. More attention to HBV infection in pregnancy is needed due to high risk of chronicity when transmitted to infants during delivery. Objectives: A comprehensive review of the HBV prevalence rate in pregnant females taking into account different geographical areas and socio-economic status is still lacking. This would be of crucial importance for HBV prevention and control programs. As such, this systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted focusing on HBV prevalence rate in pregnant females from different parts of the world. Methods: Different electronic databases, including Embase, PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and ISI/Web of Science were searched from January 1st 2000 to July 31st 2016, using relevant keywords, such as “prevalence” or “seroprevalence” or “epidemiology” and “pregnancy” or “pregnant” or “antenatal” in combination with “hepatitis B virus” or “HBV” with no language restrictions. The study protocol of this systematic review was deposited at the “International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews” and registered as CRD42016041985. Results: After scrutinizing all the extant scholarly literature from 2000 to 2016, this study found 222 relevant articles. The overall HBV prevalence rate in pregnant females worldwide was estimated using a random-effect model, giving a value of 3% (95% confidence interval or CI 2% - 4%). Heterogeneity between studies was significantly high (I2= 99.9%, P < 0.0001). The clinical and epidemiological burden was higher in developing countries. Conclusions: This suggests that despite the recent scientific advancements and the clinical progress that has occurred in anti-viral therapy, HBV still represents a major issue worldwide, especially in underdeveloped countries. The key strategies for preventing transmission from pregnant females to their fetuses are through early birth dose and infant vaccination, as well as by the use of hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) and the screening and diagnosis of mothers at high risk and the subsequent use of anti-viral agents during pregnancy in order to reduce maternal DNA concentrations down to undetectable concentrations. Health authorities should effectively implement these approaches to better control HBV in pregnancy.