Viral hepatitis in the aetiogenesis of jaundice in pregnancy at the University College Hospital, Ibadan.

Viral hepatitis is common in Nigeria and may present with jaundice in pregnancy. The objective of this study was to determine the contribution of viral hepatitis among other aetiological factors, to the development of jaundice during pregnancy. Data on viral hepatitis among gravidae with jaundice in pregnancy over a 10-year period from 1st January 1992 through 31st December 2001 were retrieved and analyzed. Fifty-two cases of jaundice in pregnancy were seen among 16,566 pregnancies registered in the hospital over the 10-year period. Of the 52 cases of jaundice in pregnancy, only 48 case records were retrievable, on which this analysis is based. Viral hepatitis (VH) occurred in 1 in 591.6 pregnancies and was diagnosed in 28 (58.3%) cases of jaundice in pregnancy. Other causes of jaundice were malaria 8 (16.7%), sickle-cell anaemia in pregnancy 6 (12.5%) and sepsis 2 (4.2%). Of the 28 patients with viral hepatitis, 8 (28.5%) were positive for HBsAg. The liver function tests (LFTs) were done in 26 of the 28 patients and it showed hyperbilirubinaemia in 24, 11 had serum albumin >3.5 g/dl. All had spontaneous vaginal delivery with no maternal death. Complications associated with viral hepatitis were, anaemia 14 (50%), intrauterine growth retardation (14.3%), intrauterine foetal death 2 (7.1%), congestive cardiac failure 1 (3.57%) early neonatal death 1 (3.57%) and 2 (7.1%) cases of systemic hypertension. Viral hepatitis contributes significantly to jaundice in pregnancy and there is associated fetal and maternal morbidity.