Association of HBeAg decline rate from mid‐pregnancy to delivery with HBeAg seroconversion after delivery in hepatitis B virus‐infected mothers

There is still controversy about whether to continue antiviral therapy (AVT) after delivery, especially for pregnant women in the immune tolerance (IT) phase. In this study, a retrospective cohort study was conducted to explore the relationship between hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) decline rate (%) from mid‐pregnancy to delivery and HBeAg seroconversion postpartum among patients using nucleos(t)ide analogs (NAs) to prevent mother‐to‐child transmission (MTCT), with the goal of identifying the ideal candidates for postpartum AVT continuation. This retrospective cohort study included 151 postpartum women. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the association between the HBeAg decline rate (%) from mid‐pregnancy to delivery and HBeAg seroconversion postpartum. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was utilized to evaluate the predictive capacity of the HBeAg decline rate (%) and determine the optimal cut‐off point. The univariate analysis revealed a significant association between the HBeAg decline rate (%) and HBeAg seroconversion postpartum (OR 1.068, 95% CI: 1.034–1.103, p