Liver Diseases During Pregnancy

Abstract

Liver diseases during pregnancy pose a unique clinical challenge because they can affect the lives of both the mother and unborn child. Although severe liver disease is rare, pregnancy-related liver disease affects approximately 3% of pregnancies and can be fatal. Timely recognition and diagnosis are essential in order to institute appropriate management strategies. This article provides an overview of liver diseases during pregnancy and is divided into 2 sections: (1) liver diseases specific to pregnancy, and (2) preexisting or coincident liver diseases during pregnancy.

Keywords: Acute fatty liver of pregnancy; Autoimmune; Cirrhosis; HELLP syndrome; Hepatitis; Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy; Liver tests pregnancy; Liver transplantation.