American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Volume 199, Issue 1 , Pages 38.e1-38.e9, July 2008

Pregnancy complications associated with hepatitis C: data from a 2003-2005 Washington state birth cohort

Some of the data in this paper were presented at the 45th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, San Diego, CA, Oct. 4-7, 2007.

  • Steven A. Pergam, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprints: Steven A Pergam, MD, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, 1100 Fairview Ave. North, D3-100, P.O. Box 19024, Seattle, WA 98109.
    • ,
  • Chia C. Wang, MD, MS

      Affiliations

    • Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA
    • ,
  • Carolyn M. Gardella, MD, MPH

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA
    • ,
  • Taylor G. Sandison, MD, MPH

      Affiliations

    • Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA
    • ,
  • Warren T. Phipps, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA
    • ,
  • Stephen E. Hawes, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA.

Received 15 September 2007; received in revised form 20 December 2007; accepted 21 March 2008. published online 20 May 2008.

Objective

The objective of the study was to determine the effect of hepatitis C virus (HCV) on selected maternal and infant birth outcomes.

Study Design

This population-based cohort study using Washington state birth records from 2003 to 2005 compared a cohort of pregnant women identified as HCV positive from birth certificate data (n = 506) to randomly selected HCV-negative mothers (n = 2022) and drug-using HCV-negative mothers (n = 1439).

Results

Infants of HCV-positive mothers were more likely to be low birthweight (odds ratio [OR], 2.17; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.24, 3.80), to be small for gestational age (OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.00, 2.13), to need assisted ventilation (OR, 2.37; 95% CI, 1.46, 3.85), and to require neonatal intensive car unit (NICU) admission (OR, 2.91; 95% CI, 1.86, 4.55). HCV-positive mothers with excess weight gain also had a greater risk of gestational diabetes (OR, 2.51; 95% CI, 1.04, 6.03). Compared with the drug-using cohort, NICU admission and the need for assisted ventilation remained associated with HCV.

Conclusion

HCV-positive pregnant women appear to be at risk for adverse neonatal and maternal outcomes.

Key words: drug use, gestational diabetes, hepatitis C, pregnancy complications

 

 Cite this article as: Pergam SA, Wang CC, Gardella CM, et al. Pregnancy complications associated with hepatitis C: data from a 2003-2005 Washington state birth cohort. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2008;199:38.e1-38.e9.

 This study was supported by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Grants T32 AI007044 (to S.A.P.) and AI-30731 (to C.M.G.); National Institutes of Health Grant T32 AI007140 (to W.T.P. and T.G.S.); and National Institutes of Health Grant 5 K23 AI51523 (to C.C.W.). Drs Wang and Gardella are members of the speaker's bureau for Roche and GlaxoSmithKline laboratories, respectively. Roche markets a test for hepatitis C, and GlaxoSmithKline is developing a drug intended for use in a treatment program for hepatitis C. Neither company contributed to the design, execution, review, or funding of this study.

PII: S0002-9378(08)00347-5

doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2008.03.052

American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Volume 199, Issue 1 , Pages 38.e1-38.e9, July 2008