Features of the clinical course of pregnancy, childbirth and the condition of newborns in women with HCV infection

Abstract

The objective: to conduct a retrospective clinical and statistical analysis of the pregnancy course, childbirth and the condition of newborns in women with HCV infection.Materials and methods. A retrospective clinical and statistical analysis of the pregnancy course, childbirth and the condition of newborns was carried out according to the data of 351 birth histories of women with HCV infection based on the materials of the archive of the communal non-commercial enterprise “Kyiv Municipal Center of Reproductive and Perinatal Medicine” for the period from 2016 to 2021. The control group (CG) included 50 healthy pregnant women. Statistical processing of research results was carried out using standard programs “Microsoft Excel 5.0” and “Statistica 8.0”. Results. In women with HCV infection compared to the group of healthy pregnant women a significantly high frequency (p<0.001) of such pregnancy complications was found: threat of pregnancy interruption – 64 (18.2 %) patients versus 2 (4.0 %) persons, edema of pregnant women – 72 (20.5 %) and 4 (8.0 %), respectively; preeclampsia – 45 (12.8 %) versus 2 (4.0 %), gestational anemia – 131 (37.3 %) versus 6 (12.0 %), as well as placental insufficiency with fetal growth retardation syndrome (FGR) – 69 (19.6 %) versus 3 (6.0 %; p<0.05) and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnant women – 42 (11.9 %) versus 1 (2.0 %; p<0.05). In 73 (20.8 %) pregnant women with HCV infection the childbirth was complicated by premature rupture of the membranes, of which almost half of the cases (42 (11.9 %) of the patients) finished with premature birth, while in CG only some women had such complications. Fetal distress during childbirth was reliably detected more often in pregnant women with HCV infection than in CG women (χ2=4.76; p=0.024). Caesarean section was performed in 86 (24.5 %) patients with HCV infection versus 2 (4.0 %) persons in CG (p<0.001).The newborns from mothers with HCV infection had lower indicators of physical development and decreased Apgar score assessment, increased frequency of conjugation jaundice.Conclusions. Pregnant women with HCV infection are characterized by a significant increase in the number of pregnancy complications, such as the threat of pregnancy interruption, the threat of premature birth, gestational anemia, placental dysfunction, fetal growth retardation syndrome, and preeclampsia; during childbirth – premature and antepartum rupture of amniotic membranes, premature birth, weakness of uterine activity in labor, increased blood loss. The condition of newborns from women with HCV infection is characterized by a significant increase in the frequency of asphyxia during childbirth, CNS hypoxic-ischemic damage, prematurity and conjugation jaundice.