Neutrophils’ Phagocytic Function of Hepatitis B Virus Infected Pregnant Women, Attending Specialist Hospital Sokoto, North Western, Nigeria

Hepatitis B virus is the causative agent of hepatitis B infection. The virus is a major public health crisis in sub-Saharan Africa with high burden of morbidity and mortality. Vertical transmission is a significant contributor of new cases. This study was designed to access the innate immune competence of Hepatitis B viral infected pregnant women using neutrophil phagocytic function. In this cross sectional comparative observational study, simple random sampling technique was applied. A total of 100 Hepatitis B infected pregnant women and 100 controls were recruited. The data obtained were analysed using SPSS (version 23) software. A P probability value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The results showed that proportion of phagocytic function was significantly lower (p < 0.05) for HBV infected subjects compared with control. The findings also revealed that trimester does not influence the percentage neutrophil phagocytic function. Conclusively Hepatitis B infection affects innate immunity. Pregnant women should be screened for Hepatitis B surface Antigen (HBsAg) during routine Antenatal clinic and drugs should be recommended for Hepatitis B infected pregnant women.