Prognosis and determinants of pregnancy outcome among patients with post-hepatitis liver cirrhosis

Abstract Objective To evaluate maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes and their associated risk factors among pregnant women with liver cirrhosis (LC). Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted at Sohag University Hospital, Egypt, between May 1, 2009, and April 1, 2012. Participants included 129 pregnant women with LC (study group), 647 pregnant women without LC (control group 1), and 853 non-pregnant women with LC (control group 2). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Results Maternal, fetal, and neonatal complication rates were significantly higher in the study group than in control group 1 ( P  = 0.001 for all complications). The rate of hepatic decompensation (HD) was higher in the study group than in control group 2 (63.6% vs 13.6%; P  = 0.001). Maternal mortality was higher in the study group (7.8%) than in either control group 1 (0.2%) or control group 2 (2.5%; P  = 0.001). Variceal bleeding during vaginal delivery was the most frequent cause of maternal mortality. Vaginal delivery and increasing gestational age were the key variables affecting the rate of HD ( P  = 0.001 for both). Conclusion The presence of LC during pregnancy was associated with high rates of maternal and neonatal complications. Increasing gestational age and vaginal delivery were the most important risk factors for HD.