Retrospective Analysis of Archived Data on Hepatitis B Virus Infection among Pregnant Women in Ilorin, Nigeria, with Contextual Comparison to National Estimates

Abstract

Hepatitis B viral (HBV) infection among pregnant women is one of the major public health concerns in Nigeria due to vertical transmission risk. This study presents a retrospective analysis of archived data collected in 2014 to determine the burden of HBV infection and associated risk factors among pregnant women in Ilorin, Nigeria, and to contextually compare the findings with more recent national estimates for progress of public health interventions. This was a retrospective cross-sectional study based on the records of 200 pregnant women who attended the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic of Sobi Specialist Hospital, Ilorin, between February and May, 2014. Relevant previously generated laboratory results, including anti-HBc IgM detected using ELISA, alongside data on demographic and risk factors, were extracted and re-analyzed using SPSS version 20. Anti-HBc IgM was used as marker of recent HBV infection, not overall HBV prevalence. An anti-HBc IgM seroprevalence of 18.0% (36/200) was observed, representing the proportion of participants with evidence of recent HBV infection at the time of data collection. The highest positivity of 21.4% was found within the 30-34-year age-group, while the identified significant risk factors included a polygamous family structure (26.7% vs. 15.5% in monogamous families; p=0.002), history of surgery (p=0.003), and traditional circumcision (p=0.001). This retrospective analysis of archived 2014 data suggests a high burden of recent HBV infection among pregnant women in Ilorin at the time of study.  The study underscores the need for strengthened antenatal screening, improved vaccination coverage, and updated studies to better define the current epidemiological situation.