Acute Hepatitis E During Pregnancy

Abstract

Liver disorders during pregnancy may have a strong bearing on both mother andthe foetus. Acute Hepatitis E is rightly considered to be an emerging infection. Loco-regionalstudies have shown it to be the most common cause of Acute Hepatitis in pregnant females. Wecarried out our study to elaborate the demographic profile of pregnant females presenting withAcute Hepatitis E along with the fetomaternal outcomes. Study Design: It was a prospective,observational study. Intervention: None. Settings and Participants: Over a period of two years,73 pregnant patients were evaluated by our team in the Department of Gastroenterology forsuspicion of liver disease. Outcomes and Measurement: Data was evaluated for quantitativeand qualitative variables. Outcome of mother, pregnancy and neonates was also recordedwhere available. Results: During the study period 73 pregnant patients presented with liverdisease giving an incidence of 3.6%. Serological evidence of Acute Hepatitis E was found in 50(68.5%) of the patients. Fulminant hepatic Failure developed in 5 (10%) patients. All five patientswith FHF could not survive. There were 4 (8%) intra-uterine deaths, 1 (2%) abortion and 5 (10%)neonatal deaths. Shortcomings: Relatively small sample size. Conclusions: Acute hepatitis Eduring pregnancy predicts poor outcomes for the mothers, foetus and neonates