Health history after intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy

To establish whether intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is associated with other diseases during a woman's lifetime.

Prospective controlled cohort study.

University Hospital in Finland.

A total of 575 women with ICP and 1374 control women, all having delivered in 1969-1988. Questionnaires were sent to 544 ICP patients and 1235 control women. Responses were received from 1178 (66.4%).

Questionnaire survey in autumn 2010.

Perceived health, symptoms and complaints, diseases diagnosed by a doctor and use of medicines.

No statistically significant differences were detected in perceived health. Differences in recent symptoms and complaints were small. Diagnoses made by a doctor showed higher frequencies in the ICP group than in control women for other hepatobiliary diseases, breast cancer and hypothyreosis. Diagnosed hypertension and high cholesterol requiring medication as well as cardiac arrhythmia were less frequent in the ICP group. Women in this group used antacid medicines more often than control women.

There were few differences between the ICP patients and control women except for a higher frequency of later hepatobiliary disease, breast cancer and hypothyreosis. Women with a history of ICP should be screened for hypothyreosis more readily than those without. The higher frequency of breast cancer warrants further research.