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Hepatitis C virus-associated thrombocytopenia in pregnancy: impact upon multidisciplinary care provision

  • Cathy Monteith , Fionnuala Ní Áinle , Sharon Cooley , John S. Lambert , Barry Kelleher , Valerie Jackson and Maeve Eogan EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: September 4, 2013

Abstract

Objective: Recent studies have implicated hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the pathogenesis of immune thrombocytopenia. In pregnancy-associated immune thrombocytopenia, multidisciplinary management is required due to a potential for bleeding complications. We performed a retrospective review of HCV-infected pregnant women and age-matched controls who were not infected with HCV.

Methods: One hundred and six women with a HCV viral load were identified from 2009 to 2011.

Results: Thrombocytopenia was identified in 10.3% of HCV-infected pregnant women and 1.6% of age-matched controls (P<0.001). Mean platelet count during pregnancy was 120±23×109/L in HCV-infected women and at delivery was significantly lower in HCV-infected women than in controls (P=0.01). Despite the significant difference in platelet counts, there was no significant difference in estimated blood loss (EBL) at delivery. Regional anaesthesia was performed in 73% of thrombocytopenic HCV-infected women and no complications were recorded. There were no fetal bleeding complications.

Conclusion: In the first study to date to investigate the impact of HCV on maternal platelet count we demonstrated a significantly higher frequency of thrombocytopenia and a significantly lower platelet count in HCV-infected pregnant women compared with controls. Interestingly, thrombocytopenia had no detectable impact on EBL at delivery.


Corresponding author: Dr Maeve Eogan, Department of Obstetrics, Rotunda Maternity Hospital, Dublin 1, Ireland, E-mail:

References

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The authors stated that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this article.

Received: 2013-4-10
Accepted: 2013-7-22
Published Online: 2013-09-04
Published in Print: 2014-01-01

©2014 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston

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