Hepatitis E Rate High Among Pregnant Women In United Arab Emirates.

2001 DEC 27 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Epidemiologists in Saudi Arabia say the rate of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is high among pregnant females living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

HEV, typically transmitted via the oral-fecal route and in contaminated drinking water, is particularly hazardous to expectant women, with a fatality rate of up to 25% in that group. In developing countries where sanitation practices are limited, HEV outbreaks are common among adults and children. An epidemiological report produced by UAE University researchers suggests curbing HEV infections could reduce maternal mortality related to that disease.

Of 469 pregnant women tested for HEV, 28 of the 93 women testing positive for antibodies to HEV (anti-HEV) also had serum markers for active viral infection (HEV RNA) and exhibited symptoms of active infection, according to R.M. Kumar and colleagues. Most of the women with active infections were Egyptian or hailed from the Indian subcontinent, they said.

"Twelve of these 28 symptomatic women developed acute hepatic disease, and two died undelivered, thus were excluded from further study," remarked Kumar and coworkers. "Six of the remaining 10 women had nonfulminant acute viral hepatitis and 4 developed fulminant hepatic failure, of which 1 died in the early postpartum period."

In the 16 women without acute hepatic disease, symptoms were mild, and recovery was complete. The nine surviving women in the acute hepatic disease group also completely recovered (Sero-prevalence and mother to infant ...