Assuntos
Nocardiose/epidemiologia , Nocardia asteroides/isolamento & purificação , Pneumonia Bacteriana/epidemiologia , Corticosteroides/efeitos adversos , Corticosteroides/uso terapêutico , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Artrite Reumatoide/tratamento farmacológico , Suscetibilidade a Doenças , Feminino , Humanos , Hospedeiro Imunocomprometido , Masculino , Nocardiose/microbiologia , Pneumoconiose/complicações , Pneumonia Bacteriana/microbiologia , Doença Pulmonar Obstrutiva Crônica/complicações , Estudos Retrospectivos , Fatores de Risco , Espanha/epidemiologiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to determine the prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in pregnant women from Asturias as well as the vertical transmission rate. PATIENTS AND METHOD: This was a prospective study of consecutive pregnant women from the 5th Health Area of Principado de Asturias (Northern Spain). We determined the prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in the first trimester of pregnancy and the rate of mother-to-child transmission. Time period was August 1997-December 1998. Children were followed from birth to 18-24 months of age. Methods included anti-HVC, PCR-RNA-HVC, genotype and viral load at delivery of all positive women; and anti-HVC and PCR-RNA-HVC at birth, 3, 6, 12 and 18 months of age of their children. RESULTS: Out of 2442 consecutive pregnant women, 30 were anti-HVC positive (prevalence: 1.23% of pregnancies and 1.20% of women); 24 of them were PCR-RNA-HVC positive. There were 30 anti-HVC positive children. All but one lost their antibodies (vertical transmission rate 3.3%). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection was 1.20% of women from our Health Area. Vertical transmission rate was 3.3% among HVC infected, non-selected mothers.