Effect of pregnancy on pre-existing liver disease physiological changes during pregnancy.

Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Médica Sur, Mexico City, Mexico.

The pregnant woman experiences physiological changes to support fetal growth and development. Particularly the physiological changes of the liver are the results of the increment of estrogens and progesterone during the pregnancy, and also the hemodynamics changes. (hemodilution). Telangiectasia may appear in up to 60% of normal pregnancies. Liver function test (LFT) abnormalities occurs in 3% of the pregnancies, and the Preeclampsia is the most frequent cause. Most of the articles agree that in normal pregnancy the LFT are either normal or slightly increase o decrease but within normal range. Thus, an increase in serum ALT, AST and GGT activities and serum bilirubin and total bile acid concentration during pregnancy may be pathologic and should prompt further evaluation. In the same way the serum albumin levels is significantly low and the serum alkaline phosphatase concentrations are considerably higher and are a normal component of the pregnancy , and if they are within normal range, do not usually indicate the presence of liver disease. The prothrombine time and the partial prothrombine time remain unchanged during pregnancy and serum fibrinogen increase in late pregnancy. Most of the articles related to plasma lipids in pregnancy agree that cholesterol. Triglyceride and lipoprotein increase during pregnancy. Use of gestational age of the pregnancy are the best guide to the differential diagnosis of liver disease in the pregnancy.

PMID: 17060879 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]