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PRENATAL SCREENING FOR HEPATITIS B IS COST-EFFECTIVE.

Perinatal transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) from an infected mother to her infant occurs at a high rate, but immunization of infants at risk has been shown to reduce the transmission rate to 5 to 10 percent. Investigators evaluated the cost-effectiveness and potential impact of routine screening of pregnant women, with subsequent immunization of newborns at risk.

The findings suggest that routine screening in the U. S. would result in an annual net savings of more than $105 million, and that up to 1400 cases of chronic liver disease would be prevented for every 100,000 women screened. An accompanying editorial concludes that universal screening for hepatitis B surface antigen is warranted by the available data.

— THL

Published in Journal Watch General Medicine January 22, 1988

Citation(s):

Kane M A; Hadler S C; Margolis H S; Maynard J E. Routine prenatal screening for hepatitis B surface antigen. JAMA 1988 Jan 15 259 408-409.

• Medline abstract (Free)

Arevalo J A; Washington A E. Cost-effectiveness of prenatal screening and immunization for hepatitis B virus. JAMA 1988 Jan 15 259 365-369.

• Medline abstract (Free)