We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




Hepatitis C Screening Recommended During Pregnancy

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 13 Dec 2017
The estimated prevalence of antenatal Hepatitis C (HCV) infection is low in the USA, about 1%-2.5%, although some have suggested that it’s as high as 4% and some have recommended against screening all pregnant women for HCV, citing a lack of data on the cost-effectiveness of universal screening.

New guidance from the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM, Washington, DC, USA) recommends a thorough testing regime for pregnant women at high risk for the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and a prescriptive set of recommendations on screening workups for this disease. More...
The guidance was reviewed and endorsed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG, Washington, DC, USA).

The guidance recommends HCV prenatal testing for women with certain high risk factors, such as illegal drug use, unregulated tattoos, those on long-term hemodialysis or a history of incarceration, or who received blood products from a donor who eventually tested positive for HCV. Women who received transfusions or organ transplants prior to July 1992 and clotting factor concentrates produced before 1987 should also get screened. Screening for high risk patients should take place at the first prenatal visit and even if this initial test is negative, a second screening may be warranted at a later stage of the pregnancy if new or persistent HCV factors arise, such as the use of intranasal or injected illicit drugs.

Clinicians use anti-HCV antibody tests to screen for this disease. Positive results can mean one of several things: an acute or chronic HCV infection, a past infection that has since resolved, or a false positive result. SMFM and ACOG recommend that a quantitative nucleic acid test for HCV RNA follow any positive result for HCV antibodies. In other screening recommendations, SMFM and IDSA advised that clinicians follow up with HCV RNA testing in patients exposed to HCV within a 6-month period who have tested negative for anti-HCV antibodies. This is necessary because these antibodies might not have become detectable at the time of initial testing.

HCV-positive pregnant women also should get tested for sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and hepatitis B virus. Patients who request invasive prenatal diagnostic testing should be notified about the limited data available on the risks of vertical transmission, and that amniocentesis is a preferred method over chorionic villus sampling. In other recommendations, the authors advised against relying on cesarean delivery to indicate HCV.

Brenna Hughes, MD, MSc, a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist and the guidance’s lead author, said, “The rationale for the timing of the diagnosis of infants relates to the fact that maternal antibodies can persist for months in infants leading to false positive diagnoses. It is also possible that an infant can clear virus from the mother so the requirement for HCV RNA twice after the age of one month is to avoid false positive diagnoses.” The guidance was published in the November 2017 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Related Links:
Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Gold Member
Antipsychotic TDM Assays
Saladax Antipsychotic Assays
Portable Electronic Pipette
Mini 96
New
HBV DNA Test
GENERIC HBV VIRAL LOAD VER 2.0
New
Sperm Quality Analyis Kit
QwikCheck Beads Precision and Linearity Kit
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








Channels

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: The study has linked blood proteins to Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Blood Test Could Detect Proteins Linked to Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Loss

Alzheimer’s disease has long been associated with sticky amyloid plaques in the brain, but these markers alone do not fully explain the memory loss and cognitive decline patients experience.... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: New research points to protecting blood during radiation therapy (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Pioneering Model Measures Radiation Exposure in Blood for Precise Cancer Treatments

Scientists have long focused on protecting organs near tumors during radiotherapy, but blood — a vital, circulating tissue — has largely been excluded from dose calculations. Each blood cell passing through... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image: An adult fibrosarcoma case report has shown the importance of early diagnosis and targeted therapy (Photo courtesy of Sultana and Sailaja/Oncoscience)

Accurate Pathological Analysis Improves Treatment Outcomes for Adult Fibrosarcoma

Adult fibrosarcoma is a rare and highly aggressive malignancy that develops in connective tissue and often affects the limbs, trunk, or head and neck region. Diagnosis is complex because tumors can mimic... Read more

Technology

view channel
Image: Conceptual design of the CORAL capsule for microbial sampling in the small intestine (H. Mohammed et al., Device (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.device.2025.100904)

Coral-Inspired Capsule Samples Hidden Bacteria from Small Intestine

The gut microbiome has been linked to conditions ranging from immune disorders to mental health, yet conventional stool tests often fail to capture bacterial populations in the small intestine.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.