Liver disorders

Liver disease can complicate 5% of pregnancies, putting mother and child at risk for increased morbidity and mortality. Cholestasis, portal hypertension, and liver failure represent three major clinical entities that should be recognized early because of the prognostic implications. Liver disease in pregnancy is generally separated into disorders that are unique to pregnancy and those that coincide with pregnancy. This chapter recommends a systematic approach that focuses on the major differential diagnostic characteristics of pregnancy-related liver diseases and a limited set of tests for pregnancy-unrelated liver diseases. Management of these conditions should be performed by a multidisciplinary team and ranges from simple medical therapies to immediate termination of the pregnancy.