Department of Internal Medicine, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran.
J Clin Virol. 2010 Aug;48(4):260-3. doi: 10.1016/j.jcv.2010.04.015. Epub 2010 Jun 9.
Chickenpox during pregnancy can cause severe complications in both the mother and her baby. However, no complications will occur in a mother with proper immunity. Therefore, physicians and health systems can make better decisions when they know the immunologic status of the women in a community.
We conducted this study to clarify the Varicella zoster virus (VZV) immune status of engaged women in Iran.
This cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out on 334 young women who intended to marry between 2006 and 2008. The subjects' VZV-immunoglobulin G (IgG) and demographic characteristics were evaluated.
The mean age of the subjects was 20.5+/-4.9 years and their mean anti-varicella value was 86.22+/-71.05 U ml(-1). Of 333 young women studied, 242 (72.7%) were positive, 89 (26.7%) were negative for anti-varicella antibody and two were equivocal (0.6%). The rate of immunity increased with increasing age; all of the subjects over 35 years of age were immune to varicella. The positive predictive value (PPV) for self-reported history of chickenpox in subjects was estimated to be 79.5% and the negative predictive value (NPV) of a negative or uncertain disease history was 30.5%. A higher immune ratio was seen in women with more siblings.
The difference in the proportion of VZV-immune people in our country versus developed countries may be due to the introduction of varicella vaccine in developed nations. The mean age at first pregnancy in Iran is 25.7 years and the results of our study indicate that more than one-fourth of these women are not immune to varicella. We therefore recommend vaccination in women, especially those who are under 35 years of age. Number of siblings and positive history of varicella infection may be the indicators to determine the immunity level of a pregnant woman who has had contact with a patient with chickenpox.
孕妇水痘可导致母婴严重并发症。然而，在具有适当免疫力的母亲中不会发生并发症。因此，当医生和卫生系统了解社区中妇女的免疫状况时，他们可以做出更好的决策。
我们进行这项研究是为了阐明伊朗已婚育龄妇女的水痘带状疱疹病毒（VZV）免疫状态。
这是一项 2006 年至 2008 年间进行的横断面描述性研究，共纳入 334 名有结婚意向的年轻女性。评估了受试者的 VZV-免疫球蛋白 G（IgG）和人口统计学特征。
受试者的平均年龄为 20.5+/-4.9 岁，平均抗水痘值为 86.22+/-71.05 U ml(-1)。在 333 名年轻女性中，242 名（72.7%）为阳性，89 名（26.7%）为抗水痘抗体阴性，2 名（0.6%）为不确定。随着年龄的增长，免疫率增加；所有 35 岁以上的受试者均对水痘有免疫力。在有水痘病史的患者中，阳性预测值（PPV）估计为 79.5%，阴性或不确定疾病史的阴性预测值（NPV）为 30.5%。有更多兄弟姐妹的女性中，免疫比例更高。
与发达国家相比，我国 VZV 免疫人群的比例差异可能是由于发达国家引入了水痘疫苗。伊朗首次妊娠的平均年龄为 25.7 岁，我们的研究结果表明，超过四分之一的女性对水痘没有免疫力。因此，我们建议对女性，尤其是年龄在 35 岁以下的女性进行疫苗接种。与水痘患者有过接触的孕妇的免疫水平可以通过兄弟姐妹数量和水痘感染的阳性病史来确定。
