Hepatitis A is a risk of complications during pregnancy

The occurrence of acute hepatitis A in pregnancy is associated with high rates of gestational complications and premature delivery, say Israeli researchers in "Gastroenterology" magazine.
Hepatitis A is a risk of complications during pregnancy

Dr. Eran Elinav Hadassah Medical Center-Hebrew in Jerusalem and his colleagues point out that if an infectious disease is the most common form of acute hepatitis, there are few studies on its deleterious effects on pregnancy.

Therefore, Israeli researchers retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 25 years about 80,000 pregnancies. The team has found 13 cases of infection with hepatitis A occurred in the second or third trimester.

Nine patients (69% of cases) developed complications have been identified for preterm contractions four of them, a placental abruption in two other women, premature rupture of membranes in the next two and vaginal bleeding in the last of the nine women in labor.

In eight of them, these complications led to premature labor on average at 34 weeks gestation.

Of all reported cases of hepatitis, 12 births were vaginal, one case of fetal distress was observed, and meconium in the amniotic fluid of two pregnancies.

The average birth weight was 1778 g in the case of premature delivery and 3.040 g for rescues term. The presence of RNA viral hepatitis A in the serum of newborns was investigated in four cases without positive result. Overall, the evolution of the mother and baby proved favorable.

"Vaccination against hepatitis A can occur in any safety during pregnancy," said Dr. Elinav while emphasizing the relevance for obstetric teams and hepatologists, to promote a forward-looking assessment of the implications of serology Hepatitis A in the screening battery to practice Prenatal and a vaccination in endemic areas.