News for Your Practice

Are ObGyns knowledgeable about the risk factors for hepatitis C virus in pregnancy?

While nearly 78% of survey respondents said that they screen pregnant patients for HCV based on risk factors, only 36% correctly identified all risk factors


 

References

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends risk-based screening for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection during pregnancy.1 However, the prevalence of HCV among pregnant women in the United States is on the rise. From 2009 to 2014, HCV infection present at delivery increased 89%.2 In addition, the risk of an HCV-infected mother transmitting the infection to her baby is about 4% to 7% per pregnancy.3 Currently, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases recommend universal HCV screening in pregnancy.4

Researchers at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, a tertiary care center, presented survey findings on HCV screening among ObGyns at ACOG’s 2019 Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee.5 Katherine G. Koniares, MD, and colleagues sought to assess the opinions and clinical practices of ObGyns by emailing a 10-question electronic survey to providers. A total of 38 of 41 providers (93%) responded to the survey.

Survey results show lack of knowledge on risk factors

In response to the question, “Which pregnant patients do you believe should be screened for HCV,” 43.2% of providers stated “all pregnant women,” while 54.1% said “only pregnant women with risk factors for HCV.” A small percentage (2.7%) responded that they were not sure.

Providers also were asked which patients in their practice they screen for HCV. In response, 77.8% stated that they screen pregnant women for HCV based on risk factors, while 13.9% screen all pregnant patients for HCV; 8.3% do not screen for HCV.

When asked which risk factors providers use to screen patients for HCV, 42% to 85% said they screen for each indicated risk factor. Only 36% of providers, however, correctly identified all risk factors (for example, receiving blood products from donors who later tested positive for HCV; unexplained liver disease; and percutaneous/parenteral exposures in an unregulated setting, such as receiving tattoos outside a licensed parlor).

Further study needed on universal screening

The researchers assert that risk-based screening for HCV is not effective and that further research on universal HCV screening in pregnant patients is needed.

Recommended Reading

Prenatal, postnatal neuroimaging IDs most Zika-related brain injuries
MDedge Infectious Disease
Uptick in adult syphilis means congenital syphilis may be lurking
MDedge Infectious Disease
Pregnant women commonly refuse the influenza vaccine
MDedge Infectious Disease
Proposed triple I criteria may overlook febrile women at risk post partum
MDedge Infectious Disease
Think outside lower body for pelvic pain
MDedge Infectious Disease
Incidence of late-onset GBS cases are higher than early-onset disease
MDedge Infectious Disease
Raltegravir safe, effective in late pregnancy
MDedge Infectious Disease
Noninfected children of HIV-positive mothers have high rates of obesity
MDedge Infectious Disease
Dolutegravir passes late pregnancy test
MDedge Infectious Disease
N.Y. hospitals report near-universal CMV screening when newborns fail hearing tests
MDedge Infectious Disease