[The behavior and perinatal impact of viral hepatitis in pregnancy].

The association between viral hepatitis and pregnancy is not common, nevertheless it has been described that hepatitis is the most frequent cause of jaundice in pregnant women. In this article the current knowledge on the perinatal repercussions of the different types of viral hepatitis are reviewed. Hepatitis A is rare during pregnancy and is not associated with perinatal risk. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) can be transmitted transplacentally, 20 per cent of the children infected by this route will develop liver cirrhosis or carcinoma in the adult age, so the infants of HBsAg carrier mothers must be immunized at born. The perinatal transmission of hepatitis C virus has been proved but the repercussion in the fetus or newborn is unknown. Hepatitis D virus can only be transmitted from mother to child together with HBV. Hepatitis E has been associated with a mortality of 10 to 40 per cent in pregnant women.