[Influence of pregnancy in chronic hepatitis C virus infection].
BACKGROUND
There is scarce information about the influence of pregnancy in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection is little know.


METHODS
6,556 pregnant women were screened for anti-HCV (ELISA II). We determine ALT, HCV-RNA by PCR (Amplicor Roche) and HCV viraemia (Amplicor-HCV-Monitor Roche) in the third trimester of pregnancy and after 6 months of delivery. HBsAg, anti-HIV and HCV serotype (Murex 1-3) were also determined.


METHODS
Fisher test, paired-t and U Mann Whitney.


RESULTS
Anti-HCV was positive in 59 out of 6,556 (0.9%). Mean (SD) age: 27 (9) years (range, 18-40). Drug users: 34 (57%), post-transfusion: 10 (18%) and unknown: 15 (25%). HIV positive 11 (19%). Serotype 1, 30 (51%), setotype 3, 7 (20%), and nontypeable, 22 (37%). We studied HCV-RNA before and after delivery in 35 women, 8 out of 35 (23%) had HCV-RNA negative in both analysis. ALT was normal in 88% of women during pregnancy and in 42% after delivery. ALT levels in pregnancy were 32.6 (39.5) and in postpartum 64.5 (53.4) U/l (p < 0.005). 6 women were RNA-VHC negative during pregnancy and positive in postpartum. HCV viraemia during pregnancy and postpartum was 503 (1,203) and 1,014 (1,907) thousand copies/ml (p < 0.05). No relation was found among ALT or HCV viraemia with risk factors, serotype or coinfection with HIV.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of anti-HCV in pregnant women is 0.9%. ALT is usually normal in pregnancy. A quarter of women were HCV-RNA negative in pregnancy and positive after delivery. The viraemia was lower in pregnancy than after delivery, which is consistent with the fact of the low mother-to-infant HCV transmission rate.
Romero-Gómez
M
M
Sección de Aparato Digestivo, Hospital Universitario de Valme, Sevilla.
Suárez-García
E
E
Casanovas
J
J
Nogales
M C
MC
Vargas
J
J
Otero
M A
MA
Castro Fernández
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000097:blood*
D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D000410:Alanine Transaminase