Effect of viral hepatitis E on maternal and fetal outcome

Abstract

The outcome of Hepatitis during pregnancy has been observed to be broadly diverse by various researchers, ranging from the benign to fatal. A poor result has progressively been seen in pregnant women suffering Hepatitis in Pakistan. This study was planned to study the frequency, causative organisms and chief prognostic elements affecting the consequence of viral hepatitis in pregnant women. Sixty-eight pregnant ladies answering to the doctor's facilities with jaundice were enlisted and enrolled as cases and their hematological, biochemical and viral profiles were pondered. Sixteen non-pregnant women were chosen as controls and a comparable workup was carried out. A relationship was done between the two groups. We further separated the cases into two groups – survivors and nonsurvivors and attempted to discover the components anticipating mortality. The unpaired understudy t test and chi square test were utilized to figure out whether the distinctions were measurably noteworthy. All the information was entered and investigated utilizing SPSS form 20.0. Viral Hepatitis in pregnancy caused a very high maternal mortality (19.1%) and foetal wastage (42.6%). Hepatitis E virus was the commonest causative organism (77.9%) responsible for viral hepatitis during pregnancy. It also caused the highest maternal mortality due to fulminant hepatic failure. Maternal mortality was significantly higher in those women presenting with features of encephalopathy, SIRS, highbilirubin levels and prolonged prothrombin time. Vertical transmission was noted in Hepatitis B and E. Hepatitis E is the chief causative organism causing fulminant hepatic failure in pregnant women. It leads to very high rates of maternal mortality and foetal wastage.