Why pregnant women should be wary of hepatitis?
Hepatitis is a serious liver inflammation that can easily be transmitted to others. This disease is caused by hepatitis virus. There are several types of viral hepatitis, including hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. If not handled properly, hepatitis during pregnancy can cause severe illness, liver damage, even death. Mom can also spread the virus to her baby.
Hepatitis B and C are the most common types of hepatitis that occur during pregnancy. Hepatitis B is the most common form of hepatitis transmitted from mother to baby worldwide, with a greater increased risk if you live in a developing country.
About 90% of pregnant women with acute hepatitis B infection will "inherit" the virus to their baby. Approximately 10-20% of women with chronic hepatitis B infection will pass it on. About 4% of pregnant women who are infected with the hepatitis C virus will pass it on to their baby. The risk of the spread of the disease from mother to child is also related to how much viral load (viral load) in the mother's body and whether she is also infected by HIV.
How can mothers get hepatitis during pregnancy?
Hepatitis B and C spread through infected blood and body fluids - eg vaginal fluid or semen. That means you can get it from unprotected sex with an infected person, or stabbed with a used needle used by an infected person - either an unsterile drug needle, a tattoo needle, or a non-sterile medical syringe. However, the risk of getting hepatitis C through sex is low if you only have one partner for a long time.
Hepatitis C is most common in people born between 1945 and 1965. For this reason, all people in this age group should be tested for hepatitis C infection.
What are the symptoms of hepatitis during pregnancy?
Symptoms of hepatitis include nausea and vomiting, exhaustion, loss of appetite, fever, abdominal pain (especially on the right side above, the location of the liver), muscle and joint pain, and jaundice aka jaundice - skin and whites of yellowing eyes. The problem is, symptoms may not appear for months or years after infection, or you may not show any symptoms at all.
What is the impact of hepatitis during pregnancy on maternal health?
Hepatitis B infection can heal totally within weeks without treatment. Pregnant women who are already free of hepatitis B virus will become immune to it. They can not get the virus anymore. But unlike hepatitis B virus infection, most adults infected with the hepatitis C virus (about 75% to 85%) become a carrier, aka "host" of the virus. Most carriers of hepatitis develop long-term liver disease. Another handful will develop liver cirrhosis and other serious life-threatening heart problems.
Pregnancy itself will not speed up the disease process or worsen it, although if the liver is already burdened and injured with cirrhosis, this can increase the risk of pregnant women experiencing fatty liver. Fatty liver during an acute pregnancy may be associated with an enzyme deficiency typically produced by the liver that allows pregnant women to metabolize fatty acids. This condition can quickly become severe, and may also affect the unborn child (who may also be born with this enzyme deficiency).
Another complication that can occur in mothers with hepatitis during pregnancy is gallstones, which often cause jaundice during pregnancy. This occurs in 6% of all pregnancies, partly due to changes in bile salts during pregnancy. In addition, the gallbladder empties itself more slowly during pregnancy, which means that the bile liquezes longer in the liver and the risk of gallstones rises.
If you have hepatitis B during pregnancy, it is thought you may be more susceptible to premature rupture of membranes, gestational diabetes, and / or severe bleeding at the end of pregnancy. There is also an increased risk of maternal complications such as placenta abruption and infant mortality at birth.
0 Response to "This is important for mother's health"
Post a Comment