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World J Gastroenterol. Oct 28, 2013; 19(40): 6714-6720
Published online Oct 28, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i40.6714
Hepatitis C and pregnancy
Annarosa Floreani
Annarosa Floreani, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy
Author contributions: Floreani A designed and wrote the review.
Correspondence to: Annarosa Floreani, MD, Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padova, Italy.annarosa.floreani@unipd.it
Telephone: +39-49-8212894 Fax: +39-49-8760820
Received: July 11, 2013
Revised: August 22, 2013
Accepted: September 4, 2013
Published online: October 28, 2013
Processing time: 124 Days and 17.5 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: In general, pregnancy does not have a negative effect on hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Conversely, chronic hepatitis does not appear to have an adverse effect on the course of pregnancy, or the birth weight of the newborn infant. The overall rate of mother-to-child transmission for HCV is 3%-5% if the mother is known to be anti-HCV positive. Co-infection with HIV increases the rate of mother-to-child transmission up to 19.4%.