High-Risk Pregnancy Experts Published Eight Specific Recommendations for Screening, Treatment and Management of Hepatitis C in Pregnancy
Brenna L. Hughes, MD, MSc; Jeffrey A. Kuller, MD; and Charlotte M. Page, MD, are lead authors on The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM)'s new guidance on screening, treatment and management of Hepatitis C in Pregnancy, released on October 19, 2017.
The SMFM released new clinical guidance regarding HCV in pregnancy titled, “SMFM Consult Series #43: Hepatitis C in pregnancy: screening, treatment, and management.” The recommendations are currently available on the SMFM website, will be published in the November issue American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and are endorsed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).
Hepatitis C (HCV) during pregnancy is associated with serious, adverse outcomes. Infants born to women with HCV are more likely to experience fetal growth restriction and low birth weight. For women, chronic HCV is associated with progressive liver damage and, during pregnancy, can be transmitted from the mother to the fetus (called vertical transmission).
Highly effective treatments for HCV now exist, but none are currently approved for use during pregnancy. Yet, up to 8% of pregnant women worldwide are infected with HCV.
“Not enough is known about the effect of most drugs on a woman and her pregnancy, or the ways in which pregnancy may alter the uptake, metabolism and effectiveness of medications,” said lead author and SMFM member, Brenna Hughes, MD, MSc. “The treatments currently available for HCV are no exception.”
—Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine
The press release in its entirety can be found by clicking here.