Effects of mode of delivery and infant feeding on the risk of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis C virus. European Paediatric Hepatitis C Virus Network

August 5, 2001

1: BJOG 2001 Apr;108(4):371-7

Effects of mode of delivery and infant feeding on the risk of

mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis C virus. European Paediatric

Hepatitis C Virus Network.

European Paediatric Hepatitis C Virus Network.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of mode of delivery and infant feeding

on the risk of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis C virus. DESIGN:

Pooled retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. SAMPLE: Data

on hepatitis C virus seropositive mothers and their children identified

around delivery were sent from 24 centres of the European Paediatric

Hepatitis C Virus Network. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Hepatitis C virus

infection status of children born to hepatitis C virus infected women.

RESULTS: A total of 1,474 hepatitis C virus infected women were identified,

of whom 503 (35%) were co-infected with HIV. Co-infected women were more

than twice as likely to transmit hepatitis C virus to their children than

women with hepatitis C virus infection alone. Overall 9.2% (136/1,474) of

children were hepatitis C virus infected. Among the women with hepatitis C

virus infection-only, multivariate analyses did not show a significant

effect of mode of delivery and breastfeeding: caesarean section vs vaginal

delivery OR = 1.17, P = 0.66; breastfed versus non-breastfed OR = 1.07, P =

0.83. However, HIV co-infected women delivered by caesarean section were 60%

less likely to have an infected child than those delivered vaginally (OR =

0.36, P = 0.01) and those who breastfed were about four times more likely to

infect their children than those who did not (OR = 6.41, P = 0.03). HIV

infected children were three to four times more likely also to be hepatitis

C virus infected than children without HIV infection (crude OR = 3.76, 95%

CI 1.89-7.41). CONCLUSIONS: These results do not support a recommendation of

elective caesarean section or avoidance of breastfeeding for women with

hepatitis C virus infection only, but the case for HIV infected women

undergoing caesarean section delivery and avoiding breastfeeding is

strengthened if they are also hepatitis C virus infected.

Publication Types:

a.. Multicenter study

PMID: 11305543 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

August 5, 2001