[Importance of bile acids for intra-hepatic cholestasis of pregnancy]

Abstract

Intrahepatic cholestasis during pregnancy is a risk factor for prematurity, respiratory distress, fetal death in utero and exposure to meconium stained liquor. Treatment is based on ursodeoxycholic acid, which allows the pregnancy to continue until term. There is no consensus for labor induction criteria or for extraction of the fetus. We report a series of 10 patients who presented cholestasis during pregnancy and for whom we monitored the bile acid levels. These assays provided the means of confirming the diagnosis in patients suffering from pruritus. The threshold of 40 micromoles/L could be a way of defining a group at risk of complications. Proper management for monitoring this pathology has not yet been properly established, but assay of the bile acids is an important element.