Infectious aetiology of jaundice among pregnant women in Angola

The contribution of viral hepatitis, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and malaria to jaundice among pregnant women in Luanda, Angola, was studied. 20 pregnant women with jaundice (cases) were identified in 2 large maternity hospitals and compared with 40 pregnant women without jaundice (controls). Among the cases 6 patients died, whereas no death occurred in the control group (p < 0.001). Five spontaneous abortions and 6 stillbirths were also noted among the cases, implying foetal loss in 55% and stillbirth in 30%. One stillbirth was registered among control women. Of the cases 40% had anti-hepatitis E virus antibodies compared with 13% of the controls (p=0.02). Plasmodium falciparum parasitaemia occurred in 47.5% and 5% of cases and controls, respectively (p < 0.001). There was no difference in the prevalence of antibodies against hepatitis C or HIV among cases and controls. The carriership of hepatitis B surface antigen was 10% in both groups. In conclusion, jaundice during pregnancy is often associated with maternal mortality in Luanda, women suffering from jaundice during pregnancy have an extremely high case fatality rate, and P. falciparum and hepatitis E are associated with jaundice in the setting studied.