What is the probability of transmission of hepatitis C to a baby?
As a result of the research, it was found that the frequency of transmission of the disease from mother to baby depends on many factors, and ranges from 0-40%. It is generally believed that about 5% of all infected mothers who are not infected with HIV transmit the virus infection to their newborns. In the opposite case, when the disease is weighed down by HIV , the probability of transmission of hepatitis C to a baby increases sharply - up to 15%.
Also, during pregnancy, false hepatitis C occurs. It is observed only in those women who have liver function indicators, which testify to its pathology, even in the absence of serological changes.
How are births in pregnant women with hepatitis C?
Birth, like pregnancy in hepatitis C, have their own characteristics. To date, the best way to conduct them has not been established. According to studies conducted by Italian scientists, the risk of transmission of the disease is reduced with delivery by cesarean section. The probability of infection of a baby is only 6%.
In this case, the woman herself has the right to choose: to give birth alone or by conducting cesarean section. However, despite the desire of the future mother, doctors must take into account, the so-called viral load, which is calculated depending on how much the infected antibody is in the blood. So, in case this value exceeds 105-107 copies / ml, the best way of delivery will be cesarean.
How is hepatitis C treated in pregnant women?
Hepatitis C detected during pregnancy is difficult to treat. That is why, even long before the planning of the child, both partners must submit an analysis for the presence of the causative agent of the disease.
Treatment of hepatitis C during pregnancy is a rather complex and lengthy process. Finally, it is not established what effect the fetus has on the pregnant woman herself, the antiviral therapy performed. In theory, reducing the viral load observed in hepatitis C should lead to a reduction in the risk of transmission of the virus vertically, i.e. from mother to baby.
In most cases, in the therapeutic process of chronic hepatitis C in pregnancy use interferon and a-interferon, and only in those cases where the alleged therapeutic effect is of greater significance.
What are the consequences of hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C, diagnosed with a normal pregnancy, has no terrible consequences. Most often, pathology passes into a chronic stage.
Despite the fact that transmission of the virus by vertical means is possible, in practice this is observed rather rarely. Even the presence of antibodies in the blood of an infant born to an infected woman before 18 months is not considered a sign of the disease, because they were transferred to the baby from the mother. In this case, the baby is under the control of doctors.
Thus, even with this virus in the pregnant woman, healthy children are born. But in order to exclude the risk of infection of the child, it is better to plan pregnancy after treatment of hepatitis C. Recovery in this pathology is a rather long process that takes 1 year. According to statistics, only 20% of all ill people recover, and another 20% become carriers, i.e. There are no signs of disease, and there is a pathogen in the analysis. In most cases, the disease does not heal completely , but goes into a chronic form.