Baldo V, Floreani A, Menegon T, Grella P, Paternoster D M, Trivello R
Institute of Hygiene, University of Padua, Italy.
Eur J Epidemiol. 2000 Jan;16(1):87-91. doi: 10.1023/a:1007600532105.
Pregnant women can be considered a sentinel population, because they are a relatively unselected population whose prevalence data may be extended to the general population.
A seroepidemiological study was carried out in Padua (North-East Italy) to assess the epidemiological aspects of HCV. HBV and HIV infection in 2059 pregnant women consecutively seen at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology during 1996. Out of them, 1804 (87.2%) were indigenous and 255 (12.8%) immigrants. Sociodemographical and sanitary data were collected for each woman.
The overall prevalence of anti-HCV was 1.9% (42.5% with detectable HCV-RNA); HBsAg was found in 1.0%: the prevalence of anti-HIV was 0.3%. Findings are substantially consistent with the epidemiological picture of such infections in the general population of our geographic area. A parenteral risk factor for HCV infection was found in 19 subjects (47.5%): 18 were intravenous drug users and 1 a blood transfusion recipient. HBsAg seroprevalence was higher in immigrants than in autochthonous (3.1% vs. 0.7% respectively, p < 0.01). One of the 6 anti-HIV positive women was intravenous drug user. Logistic regression analysis was carried out for each viral agent to determine which characteristics were independently associated with infection: anti-HCV prevalence resulted independently associated to Italian origin (OR: 3.7), unmarried status (OR: 2.7), unemployed condition (OR: 6.1) and history of previous abortion (OR: 2.8). HBsAg prevalence was independently associated to unemployed condition (OR: 10.8), whereas HIV positivity was significantly related to the unmarried status (OR: 18.5).
Our study pinpoints the need of screening all pregnant women for HCV and HIV infection, in addition to the HBsAg screening which is compulsory in Italy.
孕妇可被视为一个哨点人群，因为她们是一个相对未经筛选的人群，其患病率数据可推广至一般人群。
在意大利东北部的帕多瓦开展了一项血清流行病学研究，以评估丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）、乙型肝炎病毒（HBV）和人类免疫缺陷病毒（HIV）感染的流行病学情况。对1996年在妇产科连续就诊的2059名孕妇进行了研究。其中，1804名（87.2%）为本地人，255名（12.8%）为移民。收集了每位女性的社会人口统计学和卫生数据。
抗-HCV的总体患病率为1.9%（42.5%可检测到HCV-RNA）；HBsAg的检出率为1.0%；抗-HIV的患病率为0.3%。这些结果与我们地理区域一般人群中此类感染的流行病学情况基本一致。在19名受试者（47.5%）中发现了HCV感染的经皮危险因素：18名是静脉吸毒者，1名是输血接受者。移民中的HBsAg血清阳性率高于本地人（分别为3.1%和0.7%，p<0.01）。6名抗-HIV阳性女性中有1名是静脉吸毒者。对每种病毒病原体进行了逻辑回归分析，以确定哪些特征与感染独立相关：抗-HCV患病率与意大利血统（比值比：3.7）、未婚状态（比值比：2.7）、失业状况（比值比：6.1）和既往流产史（比值比：2.8）独立相关。HBsAg患病率与失业状况独立相关（比值比：10.8），而HIV阳性与未婚状态显著相关（比值比：18.5）。
我们的研究指出，除了意大利强制进行的HBsAg筛查外，还需要对所有孕妇进行HCV和HIV感染筛查。
