JAUNDICE IN PREGNANCY

Abstract

Abstract. In 1955 the late L. Thorling reported on 71 women with jaundice in pregnancy because of cholestasis of pregnancy or infectious hepatitis. A follow‐up of 61 of these women, now 40–60 years of age and living all over Sweden, was performed in 1970. Six women had died and four were unwilling to participate. The study included an interview following a standardized questionnaire, oral cholecystography (unless the anatomical state of the biliary tract was known) and physical and laboratory examinations (44 women). A moderately abnormal bromsulphalein retention not accounted for by known disease was found in 8 women, three of whom had had symptoms compatible with recurrent cholestasis of pregnancy. There were few other indications of liver disease and, in general, the women considered themselves to be in good health. Evidence of earlier (cholecystectomy) or present (abnormal cholecystography) gallbladder disease was found in 31 of the 61 women investigated. The prevalence was higher in women above (67%) than below (47%) 50 years of age. Including the deceased women, the minimal prevalence of gallbladder disease among women with recurrent cholestasis of pregnancy was 57% (16 of 28). Three of the 6 deceased women had had severe kidney disease with uraemia, and 12 surviving women had had symptoms of pyelitis and/or nephrolithiasis. Of the latter, urinary tract disease was most common among those with non‐recurrent jaundice (8 of 25, 32%).