Prevalence of Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) in pregnant women at the Hospital de la Madre y el Niño de La Rioja (La Rioja, Argentina). Period 2015 - 2019.

Abstract

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a liver disease characterized by a clinical and biochemical conjunction, in which there is an increase in bile acids of mild to moderate severity, accompanied by pruritus, generally with palmoplantar onset and predominantly at night. ICP appears in the third trimester of pregnancy and disappears after delivery, and its incidence varies in different geographical areas. This pathology is associated with a high risk of fetal morbidity and mortality. Objective: To determine the prevalence of ICP with a clinical and biochemical diagnosis in pregnant women assisted at the Hospital de la Madre y El Niño of the City of La Rioja, Argentina, in the period 2015-2019, by describing pregnant women with ICP according to age, geographic provenance, gestational age and type of delivery and by determining the reference values of bile acids in healthy pregnant women in the above-mentioned hospital. Materials and methods: Quantitative, descriptive, observational, retrospective cross-sectional approach (2015 - 2019) from medical records of the obstetrics service. The design was of cases (pregnant women with ICP) and controls (pregnant women without ICP). In addition, descriptive statistical techniques were used. Results: ICP showed a prevalence of 1.3 %, with La Rioja city being the area with the highest incidence. ICP occurred in the third trimester of pregnancy and in women over 27 years of age with a predominance of cesarean section. Bile acids had a RV: 1- 8.3 μmol/l. Conclusion: The laboratory has a fundamental role for the diagnosis, proper management and prevention of fetal complications caused by ICP.