Mortality rate: Pregnant women should be screened for hepatitis-E: study

PHRC says an infection could be fatal for the mother and unborn child

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Health has recommended that expecting women should be screened for hepatitis-E and monitored since it prove fatal for both the mother and foetus.

Generally, hepatitis-E in the general population can be cured but it becomes fatal in the case of pregnant women.

The recommendations were made in a study by the Pakistan Health Research Council, a department attached to the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination to calculate the maternal and foetal mortality in jaundiced pregnant hospitalised cases.

The study, conducted in 12 hospitals of major cities of Pakistan including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi, Faisalabad, Jamshoro and Quetta.

A total of 135 pregnant females were tested for hepatitis-E during over a period of 12 months from Gynae OPD/emergency or wards of the selected hospitals.  Around 21 mothers (15.5%) were found to be hepatitis-E positive.  The mean gestational age was 33 weeks hepatitis-E positive and 35 weeks for negative cases.

Jaundice was the most common symptom among the test subjects.

The study found that found that hepatitis-E during pregnancy becomes lethal with 14.2 per cent of hepatitis-E positive women dying as compared to 3.5 per cent of hepatitis-E negative mothers. While, foetal deaths occurred in 4.7 per cent of hepatitis-E positive cases as compared to 5.2 per cent in hepatitis E negative.

Health researchers say most Pakistanis suffer from hepatitis B and C, an estimated 2 million people, which is more fatal than E.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 27^th, 2016.