Frequency of HEV Antibodies in Pregnant Women and Its Association with Existent Risk Factors, Sudan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is an increasing global problem and high endemicity is observed in many developing countries. Pregnancy predisposes women to chronic infection and various complications.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate sero-positivity of HEV and existent risk factors among pregnant women in Gezira State, Sudan.

Methods: A cross-sectional design was followed, and a non–probability convenience sampling technique was used to collect 120 venous blood samples from pregnant women. Separated serum specimens was used for the quantitative detection of specific anti-HEV IgM and IgG by competitive ELISA method (MIKROGEN GmbH - Germany).

Results: The frequency of positive results for HEV IgG antibodies in the study population amounted to 44.2 (53/120). Of the 53 HEV IgG positive pregnant participants 47.2% (25/53) were in the third trimester period, 39.6% (21/53) had preterm labor, 39.6% (21/53) had a history of abortion and 24.5% (13/53) with jaundice. Significant association was found between HEV IgG positive women and preterm labor (p-value 0.004), and history of jaundice (p-value 0.009).

Conclusion: This preliminary study highlighted the high frequency of sero-positivity of hepatitis E virus in pregnant women in the studied area of Sudan.