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Pregnant, Mild Fever, Hepatitis B,
Hi, Mywife is pregnant forlast 5weeks.She is sufferring from mildfever fromNormal to 99.4F.and She has been tested positive for HepatitisB.Rest every thing isnormal. Please advise what to do?Is it a cause for worry.Iammore worried for my wife that the baby. Pleasesuggest what is chance of having a chronic HB and its implications.. Rgds,
posted on
Mon, 9 Apr 2012
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Fri, 22 Feb 2013
Answered on
Sat, 23 Feb 2013
Last reviewed on
Hello
Thank you for your query.
As your wife has tested positive for Hepatitis B, she should be referred to a liver specialist and the following tests should be done :
HBV serology - including HBeAg status
HBV DNA level
Delta virus testing
HCV testing
Lver function tests, including tests of synthetic function (INR)
Liver ultrasound
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a worldwide health problem and may cause acute, fulminant, chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, or hepatocelullar carcinoma (HCC). Infection with HBV in infancy or early childhood may lead to a high rate of persistent infection (25-90%), while the rates are lower if infection occurs during adulthood (5-10%)
Every newborn born to Hepatitis B positive mother, must be given two shots in the delivery room - the first dose of hepatitis B vaccine and one dose of hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG). If these two medications are given correctly within the first 12 hours of life, a newborn has a 95% chance of being protected against a lifelong hepatitis B infection. The infant will need additional doses of hepatitis B vaccine at one and six months of age to provide complete protection. If a woman knows that she is infected, it is important that she tell her doctor to have these two drugs available when she is ready to deliver. If a baby does not receive these drugs in time, then there is a greater than 90% possibility that he or she will become chronically infected.
Thank you for your query.
As your wife has tested positive for Hepatitis B, she should be referred to a liver specialist and the following tests should be done :
HBV serology - including HBeAg status
HBV DNA level
Delta virus testing
HCV testing
Lver function tests, including tests of synthetic function (INR)
Liver ultrasound
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a worldwide health problem and may cause acute, fulminant, chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, or hepatocelullar carcinoma (HCC). Infection with HBV in infancy or early childhood may lead to a high rate of persistent infection (25-90%), while the rates are lower if infection occurs during adulthood (5-10%)
Every newborn born to Hepatitis B positive mother, must be given two shots in the delivery room - the first dose of hepatitis B vaccine and one dose of hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG). If these two medications are given correctly within the first 12 hours of life, a newborn has a 95% chance of being protected against a lifelong hepatitis B infection. The infant will need additional doses of hepatitis B vaccine at one and six months of age to provide complete protection. If a woman knows that she is infected, it is important that she tell her doctor to have these two drugs available when she is ready to deliver. If a baby does not receive these drugs in time, then there is a greater than 90% possibility that he or she will become chronically infected.
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