Palak J Trivedi1, Teru Kumagi2, Nadya Al-Harthy3, Catalina Coltescu4, Stephen Ward5, Angela Cheung4, Gideon M Hirschfield6. 1. Liver Center, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Birmingham Liver Biomedical Research Unit (BRU) and Centre for Liver Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. 2. Liver Center, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Gastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University, Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa To-on, Ehime, Japan. 3. Liver Center, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Royal Hospital, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. 4. Liver Center, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 5. National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Birmingham Liver Biomedical Research Unit (BRU) and Centre for Liver Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. 6. Liver Center, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Birmingham Liver Biomedical Research Unit (BRU) and Centre for Liver Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. Electronic address: g.hirschfield@bham.ac.uk.
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Up to 25% of patients diagnosed with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) are of childbearing age. However, little is known about disease course during pregnancy. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of women with PBC during pregnancy using a representative large cohort of patients attending the Liver Center at Toronto Western hospital from January 1979 through June 2009 (n = 306). Statistical analysis was performed by using R statistical software. RESULTS: We identified 32 women (50 pregnancies) who either became pregnant after a diagnosis of PBC or in whom pregnancy led to diagnosis. Liver biochemistry remained stable in most patients (70%) throughout pregnancy. However, 23 of 32 patients (72%) had a flare in biochemical disease activity post partum, which was unrelated to biochemical disease activity before conception (P = .53), or during the gestational period (P = .14). No adverse maternal events were observed during pregnancy or post partum, and only 2 of 32 of women (6%) developed progressive disease after delivery. De novo pruritus developed during pregnancy in 17 of 32 women (53%), whereas itch that existed before conception worsened for 4 patients. Fifteen of 21 women (71%) with pregnancy-related pruritus required symptom-specific therapy. Twenty-nine of 32 women (91%) had at least 1 successful live birth; adverse fetal outcome was not influenced by biochemical disease activity before conception (P = .24) or during pregnancy (P = 1.00). CONCLUSION: Pregnancy in women with PBC is frequently symptomatic but mostly uneventful. The majority of women maintain stable liver biochemistry during pregnancy, although postpartum biochemical exacerbations are common.
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Up to 25% of patients diagnosed with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) are of childbearing age. However, little is known about disease course during pregnancy. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of women with PBC during pregnancy using a representative large cohort of patients attending the Liver Center at Toronto Western hospital from January 1979 through June 2009 (n = 306). Statistical analysis was performed by using R statistical software. RESULTS: We identified 32 women (50 pregnancies) who either became pregnant after a diagnosis of PBC or in whom pregnancy led to diagnosis. Liver biochemistry remained stable in most patients (70%) throughout pregnancy. However, 23 of 32 patients (72%) had a flare in biochemical disease activity post partum, which was unrelated to biochemical disease activity before conception (P = .53), or during the gestational period (P = .14). No adverse maternal events were observed during pregnancy or post partum, and only 2 of 32 of women (6%) developed progressive disease after delivery. De novo pruritus developed during pregnancy in 17 of 32 women (53%), whereas itch that existed before conception worsened for 4 patients. Fifteen of 21 women (71%) with pregnancy-related pruritus required symptom-specific therapy. Twenty-nine of 32 women (91%) had at least 1 successful live birth; adverse fetal outcome was not influenced by biochemical disease activity before conception (P = .24) or during pregnancy (P = 1.00). CONCLUSION: Pregnancy in women with PBC is frequently symptomatic but mostly uneventful. The majority of women maintain stable liver biochemistry during pregnancy, although postpartum biochemical exacerbations are common.
Authors: Gideon M Hirschfield; Jessica K Dyson; Graeme J M Alexander; Michael H Chapman; Jane Collier; Stefan Hübscher; Imran Patanwala; Stephen P Pereira; Collette Thain; Douglas Thorburn; Dina Tiniakos; Martine Walmsley; George Webster; David E J Jones Journal: Gut Date: 2018-03-28 Impact factor: 23.059
Authors: Aldo J Montano-Loza; Jessica R Allegretti; Angela Cheung; Maryam Ebadi; David Jones; Nanda Kerkar; Cynthia Levy; Sumera Rizvi; John M Vierling; Fernando Alvarez; Wayne Bai; Susan Gilmour; Aliya Gulamhusein; Orlee Guttman; Bettina E Hansen; Sonya MacParland; Andrew Mason; Fernanda Onofrio; Pere Santamaria; Ashley Stueck; Mark Swain; Catherine Vincent; Amanda Ricciuto; Gideon Hirschfield Journal: Can Liver J Date: 2021-11-11