Pregnant women infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) can lower their odds of transmitting the virus to their baby by electing to deliver by cesarean section rather than vaginally, a study suggests.
"Based on our study, we encourage physicians to perform elective cesarean section for preventing mother-to-child transmission of HBV if the pregnant women" are patients with high levels of virus in their blood, Dr. Lian-san Zhao from West China Hospital of Sichuan University in Chengdu, China, told Reuters Health.
Zhao and colleagues assessed the evidence from randomised controlled trials for any effect on the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HBV when elective cesarean section is offered to HBV-infected mothers.
The systematic review identified four studies conducted in China involving 789 women.
Pooled results showed the rate of mother-to-child transmission of HBV to be significantly lower after elective cesarean section (10,5 percent) than after vaginal delivery (28 percent), the investigators report in the online issue of the Virology Journal, published by BioMed Central.
There was no postpartum illness associated with elective cesarean section, the researchers note. "We conclude that elective cesarean section is relatively effective and safe for preventing mother-to-child transmission of HBV," Zhao said.