Acute hepatitis E during pregnancy; maternal and foetal outcomes

Liver disorders during pregnancy may have a strong bearing on both mother and the foetus. Acute Hepatitis E is rightly considered to be an emerging infection. Loco-regional studies have shown it to be the most common cause of Acute Hepatitis in pregnant females. We carried out our study to elaborate the demographic profile of pregnant females presenting with Acute Hepatitis E along with the fetomaternal outcomes

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Study Design: It was a prospective, observational study

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Intervention: None

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Settings and Participants: Over a period of two years, 73 pregnant patients were evaluated by our team in the Department of Gastroenterology for suspicion of liver disease

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Outcomes and Measurement: Data was evaluated for quantitative and qualitative variables. Outcome of mother, pregnancy and neonates was also recorded where available

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Results: During the study period 73 pregnant patients presented with liver disease 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 patients with FHF could not survive. There were 4 [8%] intra-uterine deaths, 1 [2%] abortion and 5 [10%] neonatal deaths

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Shortcomings: Relatively small sample size

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Conclusions: Acute hepatitis E during pregnancy predicts poor outcomes for the mothers, foetus and neonates