[Severe jaundice with fatal outcome in pregnancy]

The authors report three cases of jaundice which developed during pregnancy and which rapidly resulted in the death of the patients. One case was a fulminant case of cytomegalovirus hepatitis and the other two were cases of acute steatosis of pregnancy. The clinical features are marked by the rapid development of a neurological syndrome resulting in coma and the association of blood dyscrasias due to major hepato-cellular failure resulting in DIC. The rapid progression of the disease generally results in the death of the mother and the child. However, there are some reports of survival with total cure after rapid extraction of the foetus, which justify an active therapeutic attitude.