Worldwide, hepatitis B viral (HBV) infection continues to be a major public health issue. The study was aimed at assessing HBV infection as a predictor of hepatic enzymes and compounds alteration among antenatal patients in Kano State, Nigeria. Sera were screened for HBV markers using immunochromatograhy and ELISA. Serum levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), asphatate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), albumin and bilirubin were also determined. Out of the 160 patients, 6.9% and 31.3% tested positive for HBsAg and HBcAb, respectively. None tested positive for HBeAg. These markers also appeared in other combinations. Of the HBsAg seropositives, 72.7% showed abnormal levels of both AST and ALP, 36.7% showed abnormal levels of both total and direct bilirubin, 9.1% showed abnormal levels of albumin, and none showed abnormal levels of ALT. HBsAg seropositivity shows significant association with ALP elevation (p = 0.02).The study revealed that few subjects (1.3%) that tested positive for HBsAg and HBeAb with normal ALT were in the inactive carrier phase of chronic hepatitisand6.9% that were seronegatives for all HBV markers equally had altered hepatic enzymes. The presence of HBeAg in the serum during HBV infection seems to cause a marked elevation of ALT level, while the reverse happens if HBeAg is absent. HBV infection can alter levels of hepatic enzymes and compounds and thus serve as one of its predictors, however; pregnancy can also lead to some of these alterations, which makes it difficult to establish the origin of these alterations among antenatal patients.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) when transmitted vertically can be severe on neonates and life threatening. Among others, risk factors for HBV include unprotected sex, needle-stick injuries and blood transfusion. The study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of HBV markers and associated risk factors among one hundred and sixty consenting pregnant women attending some hospitals in Kano, Nigeria. Using enzymelinked immunoassay, sera were screened for HBV sero-markers and structured questionnaires were administered to obtain sociodemographic data and possible predisposing factors to HBV infection. Of the five HBV markers known, participants tested positive for four, which include HBsAg, HBsAb, HBeAb and HBcAb. All were seronegative for HBeAg. Ninety three percent (93.1%) tested positive for at least one HBV marker and 6.9% were seronegative for all markers. Among those that tested positive for HBsAg, 54.5% (p=0.33) were housewives, 36.4% (p=0.53) had only primary school education, 72.7% (p=0.14) were middle-class, none had previous knowledge of HBV infection and its mode of transmission, 54.5% (p=0.14) regularly shares sharp objects, 45.5% (p=0.37) had ear or nose piercing, and 9.1% (p=0.01) regularly shares towel and underwear. A large percentage of the study group had history of the infection while only 1.3% of the subjects were vaccinated. Sociodemographic background of the participants, low vaccination coverage and certain risk factors like the sharing of unsterilized sharp objects seem to aid the moderately high prevalence of HBV in this study. The study also revealed that the risk of mother-to-child HBV transmission is low in the study area and that incomplete vaccination may not confer artificial immunity against HBV infection.