Hepatitis E Virus Induced Acute Liver Failure with Scrub Typhus Coinfection in a Pregnant Woman

Abstract

Coinfections contribute significantly to diagnostic challenges of acute febrile illnesses, especially in endemic areas. The confusion caused by overlapping clinical features impedes timely management. Herein, we report an unusual, previously unreported case of a pregnant woman suffering from a coinfection of scrub typhus and hepatitis E virus. A 25-year-old, 31-week pregnant woman presented with jaundice for 5 days and altered sensorium for 2 days. She had features of both viral acute liver failure (ALF) and tropical infections mimicking ALF, including hyperbilirubinemia, coagulopathy, anemia, thrombocytopenia, intravascular hemolysis, and hepatosplenomegaly. Etiological workup revealed rare coinfection of hepatitis E and scrub typhus. Despite all supportive measures, the patient succumbed to her illness (i.e., absent brainstem reflexes and intracranial bleed secondary to coagulopathy) and had poor fetal outcome, which resulted in stillbirth. ALF in a pregnant woman is a medical and obstetric emergency. It can result from varied etiologies that though differ in their incidence, mode of occurrence, and pregnancy outcome, can clinically masquerade as each other, causing diagnostic dilemma. This unusual case report highlights the significance of keeping all such possibilities in mind while managing a pregnant woman with ALF, especially in a country like India where maternal and perinatal mortality rates, the core indicators of national health, are still among the highest in the world.