| pubmed-article:4002722 | pubmed:abstractText | A report is presented on 10 children with perinatally-acquired hepatitis B virus infection. In 9 cases the mother was most probably the source of infection (vertical transmission of hepatitis B), whilst one child was infected via repeated blood transfusion. 7 mothers were of south-eastern European and/or Anatolian origin. Only 2 mothers suffered from clinically apparent liver disease (one had chronic-aggressive hepatitis with positive HBs-antigen and the other had acute hepatitis B). All the others were healthy hepatitis B carriers. Of 7 mothers examined 2 were HBe-antigen positive, and 5 were anti-HBe positive. The clinical course of infection in children varied: 2 children developed subclinical infection, 2 developed acute hepatitis B, which was fulminant with a fatal outcome in one. 6 children showed antigen persistence (HBs-antigen carriers) over the whole period of observation. In one child this antigen persistence is associated with cirrhosis of the liver, 3 children suffer from chronic-persistent hepatitis B, 2 children are healthy carriers; all children are HBe-antigen positive and, thus, seem to be highly infectious. Apart from the risk to the individual, perinatal hepatitis B infection in a certain population. Hence, preventive measures are indicated and should be carried out in form of HBs-antigen screening of pregnant women - at least of high-risk groups - and active-passive immunization of the newborns at risk. The indication for immunization should not depend on the HBe-antigen status of HBs-antigen positive mothers. | lld:pubmed |
