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Abstract Details
Pregnancy Outcomes in Women With Primary Biliary Cholangitis and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis: A Retrospective Cohort Study
BJOG. 2020 Jun;127(7):876-884. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.16119. Epub 2020 Mar 8.
M Cauldwell1, F L Mackie2, P J Steer1, M A Henehghan3, J H Baalman4, J Brennand5, T Johnston2, S Dockree6, C Hedley7, S Jarvis8, S Khan9, F M McAuliffe4, L Mackillop6, L Penna7, B Smith10, P Trivedi9, S Verma1112, R Westbrook13, S Winifield14, C Williamson15
Author information
1Academic Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, UK.
2Academic Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK.
3Liver Unit, King's College Hospital, London, UK.
4UCD Perinatal Research Centre, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, National Maternity Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
5Department of Obstetrics, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
6Women's Centre, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK.
7Department of Obstetrics, King's College Hospital, London, UK.
8Department of Obstetrics, Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital, London, UK.
9Liver Unit, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, UK.
10Department of Hepatology, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK.
11Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, UK.
12Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals, Brighton, UK.
13Department of Hepatology, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK.
14Department of Obstetrics, Leeds Teaching Hospitals, Leeds, UK.
15Department of Women and Children's Health, King's College London, London, UK.
Abstract
Objective: To determine maternal, obstetric and neonatal outcomes in a cohort of women with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC).
Design: Retrospective cohort study.
Setting: Ten specialist centres managing pregnant women with liver disease.
Population: Women with a diagnosis of PBC and PSC and a pregnancy of ≥20 completed weeks of gestation.
Methods: Retrospective case notes review.
Main outcome measures: Adverse outcomes were defined as: maternal - development of ascites, variceal bleeding, encephalopathy and jaundice; obstetric events - gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia and postpartum haemorrhage; and neonatal - stillbirth, preterm delivery and admission to neonatal unit. The relationship of alanine transferase (ALT) and bile acid levels with gestation at delivery was studied.
Results: The first recorded pregnancies of 34 women with PSC and 27 women with PBC were analysed. There were 60 live births and one intrapartum stillbirth that did not occur in the context of maternal cholestasis. The overall median gestation of delivery was 38 weeks but the rate of preterm birth was 28% (17/61 deliveries), 76% (13/17) of which were spontaneous. Gestation at birth negatively correlated with maternal serum ALT concentration at booking (P = 0.017) and serum bile acid concentration during pregnancy (P = 0.016). There were no other significant correlations and maternal and neonatal outcomes were good.
Conclusions: Pregnancy in PBC and PSC is well tolerated, but women should be counselled regarding the increased risk of preterm birth. Measurement of maternal ALT and bile acids may help identify women at risk of preterm delivery.