Perinatal events and the risk of developing primary sclerosing cholangitis.

AIM: To investigate whether perinatal events, intrauterine or postpartum, are associated with the development of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) later in life.

METHODS

Birth records from 97 patients with adult PSC in Sweden were reviewed. Information on perinatal events including medications and complications during pregnancy, gestation length, birth weight and length were collected. Two control children of the same sex were selected for each subject. Conditional multiple logistic regression was used to assess associations of the perinatal measures with development of PSC.

RESULTS

No significant associations were found between gestational age, birth length, breastfeeding, and the majority of medical complications including infections or medication during pregnancy for the mothers or postpartum for the children. Vaginal bleeding and peripheral oedema showed associations with PSC, with matched odds ratios of 5.70 (95% CI, 1.13-28.83) and 2.28 (95% CI, 1.04-5.03), respectively.

CONCLUSION

The associations of vaginal bleeding and oedema with subsequent PSC cannot readily be explained, so our findings do not strongly support the hypothesis of a significant role of perinatal events as a risk for the development of PSC later in life.