Prenatal hepatitis B testing in a midsize southern city.

Universal prenatal screening for hepatitis B in low-risk populations remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to characterize the obstetric population of the city/county hospital in a midsize southern city. A total of 2013 patients were screened for hepatitis B surface antigen and antibody between June 1988 and February 1990, with 1893 negative for both, 105 (5.2%) positive for surface antibody, and 15 (0.8%) positive for surface antigen. Only 25% of the patients with positive results of hepatitis B screening would have been identified by the 1984 Centers for Disease Control risk group criteria, and no other predictive features were identified. We conclude that universal prenatal screening for hepatitis B is indicated in low-risk populations because of the high prevalence and the lack of predictive features.