Seroprevalence and Potential Risk Factors of Hepatitis E Virus among Pregnant Women in Khartoum, Sudan

Abstract

Although hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection has been widely understood as a public health concern in pregnant females, it is sometimes overlooked because of unusual observations of hepatitis E-induced complications during pregnancy. The objective of this descriptive cross-sectional study was to find out how frequent Hepatitis E virus infection is in pregnant women in Sudan. Blood samples were collected from pregnant women (n = 90) attending Khartoum North Hospital from February to December 2019. The specimens were investigated for Hepatitis E virus IgG and IgM antibodies using the commercial kits based on the enzyme immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. Out of ninety pregnant women, 36 (40%) were found positive for IgG antibodies, and 5 (6%) were tested positive for IgM antibodies. In addition, 13 (14.5%) of the positive cases are women in their third trimester. These data showed a significant association between previous Hepatitis E virus infection and miscarriage (p <0.001). This study did not find a significant association between maternal and gestation age, education, water sources, and hepatitis E virus infection. In conclusion, there was a high percentage of HEV infections among pregnant women attending Khartoum North Hospital. This study estimates the Hepatitis E virus burden in Khartoum state, but more extensive studies are required to confirm the burden in Sudan.