title: Decrease in serum ALT and increase in serum HCV RNA during pregnancy in women with chronic hepatitis C.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The natural history of chronic hepatitis C infection during pregnancy has not been clearly established, and thus our aim was to assess serum alanine aminotransferase levels and serum HCV RNA levels during pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-six pregnant women with chronic hepatitis C were studied. Serum alanine aminotransferase was assessed within the 3 months before, monthly during and within the 3 months after pregnancy. In 12 women, serum HCV RNA levels were quantified by the branched DNA assay. Twenty-six age-matched non-pregnant women with chronic hepatitis C were followed up for 1 year, and used as a comparison group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During pregnancy, serum alanine aminotransferase levels decreased in the second and third trimesters. The third trimester levels were significantly lower than serum alanine aminotransferase levels before pregnancy (p=0.0001). Seventy-seven percent of the pregnant women with increased pre-pregnancy levels had normalization of serum alanine aminotransferase levels. In the second or third trimesters, serum HCV RNA levels increased. The third trimester serum HCV RNA levels were significantly higher than levels before pregnancy (p=0.01). No significant change in serum alanine aminotransferase or HCV RNA levels was observed in the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In pregnant women with chronic hepatitis C, serum alanine aminotransferase levels decrease, and serum HCV RNA levels increase during the second and third trimesters.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Hépatologie, INSERM U481 and Centre de Recherche Claude Bernard sur les Hépatites Virales, Hôpital Beaujon, Clichy, France. gervais@bichat.inserm.fr
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gervais
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bacq
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bernuau
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martinot
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Auperin
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Boyer
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kilani
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Erlinger
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Valla
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marcellin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000097:blood*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral; D000410:Alanine Transaminase