[HBsAg screening during pregnancy in the French province Picardy].

OBJECTIVE

Screening for maternal hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is mandatory in France since 1992, however, no evaluation is available. We studied the traceability of HBsAg screening and its prevalence in pregnant women in Picardy for year 2006.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Traceability of HBsAg screening was studied in a sample of 1198 hospital case files, which were randomized and stratified for all the 20 clinics of the region (22,114 deliveries), both public and private. HBsAg prevalence was also studied using various registries (PMSI national database of medical acts performed during hospitalization, central pharmacies and obstetric theatres).

RESULTS

The traceability of the screening was lacking in 9.9% (range: 0-34.7%, depending on the maternity clinic). The prevalence of HBsAg during pregnancy was 1.8 per 1000 women (upper limit: 4.3 per 1000) from the case files sample. Registries examination showed large variations of HBsAg's prevalence from 0 to 12.0 per 1000 (mean: 2.9; CI 95%: 7 to 17) among the region.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

HBsAg traceability during pregnancy must be improved. HBsAg prevalence largely varies among maternity clinics and is a significant issue which is underestimated in France.