Jaundice During Pregnancy: Definition, Causes, Diagnosis & Management

Jaundice During Pregnancy 1. Definition Jaundice, or hyperbilirubinemia, is the yellow discoloration of the skin, sclera, and mucous membranes due to excess bilirubin. Clinically visible when serum bilirubin > 3 mg/dL (normal < 1 mg/dL) 0. 2. How Common Is It? Relatively rare: affects <5% of pregnancies globally 1. Responsible for ~12% of maternal deaths in some regions 2. 3. Causes of Jaundice in Pregnancy Viral hepatitis (A, B, C, D, E) — most common overall, especially severe with hepatitis E 3. Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) — characterized by itching and elevated bile acids; followed by jaundice in some cases 4. Acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP) — serious, occurs near term, often with nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and jaundice in ~70% 5. HELLP / pre-eclampsia — hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelets; hepatic involvement may cause jaundice 6. Hyp...