Aetiology of jaundice in pregnancy: observational study in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Jaundice in pregnancy has potentially serious consequences to both mother and foetus. This study aims to find out the aetiology of jaundice and its severity in pregnancy.Methods: This is an observational prospective study over a period of one and a half years conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Government Medical College, Kozhikode. Antenatal patients who presented with jaundice was included in this study.Results: Out of 24060 deliveries in the study period of one and a half years there were 52 cases of jaundice complicating pregnancy. Incidence of jaundice complicating pregnancy was found to be 0.22%. Largest number of women belonged to the age group 21-25 years of age. Most of the cases occurred in the third trimester. 55.8% of the cases were multigravidas Most common cause of jaundice in pregnancy was found to be HELLP syndrome (34.6%) followed by Hepatitis A (32.7%) 67.3% of the cases had only mild elevation of bilirubin levels (2-5.9mg/dl). 65.4% had an SGOT value of less than 200U/litre and 67.3 % had an SGPT value of less than 200U/litre.Conclusions: The decrease in the number of cases of viral hepatitis may be due to the increased awareness about the transmission of disease and improvement in sanitary conditions