Clinical course of pregnant women with chronic hepatitis C virus infection and risk of mother-to-child hepatitis C virus transmission.
As far as concerns chronic hepatitis C virus infection in pregnant women, different points remain to be elucidated, such as the clinical course, the rate of mother-to-child hepatitis C virus transmission and, in particular, its route and the possible risk factors. This review aimed to analyse current data on the prevalence of chronic hepatitis C virus infection in pregnant women and its relationship with risk factors, the rate of mother-to-child hepatitis C virus transmission and the factors possibly involved, particularly the maternal hepatitis C virus viral load and the human immunodeficiency virus coinfection, and the type of delivery and feeding. Finally, the appropriate timing for HCV-RNA testing in newborns has been reviewed.
Conte
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Chair of Gastroenterology, IRCCS Maggiore Hospital, Milan, Italy. dario.conte@unimi.it
Colucci
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Minola
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Fraquelli
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Prati
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D001942:Breast Feeding; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000635:transmission; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors