Viral hepatitis in pregnancy with disseminated intravascular coagulation and hypoglycemia.

A case of a 26-year-old woman who presented at 38 weeks of gestation with severe hepatitis B complicated by disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and hypoglycemia is reported. The clinical features of the illness suggested acute fatty liver of pregnancy. Cesarean section was followed by resolution of the coagulopathy and the hypoglycemia. Both mother and infant survived and remain well. The diagnosis of hepatitis B was confirmed by a transiently positive hepatitis B surface antigen and percutaneous liver biopsy. This case emphasizes the difficulty in distinguishing acute viral hepatitis from acute fatty liver of pregnancy. In addition, the predominant features of DIC and hypoglycemia in our case are reported.