Pregnancy hepatitis in Libya

The death-rate from hepatitis in pregnant women in Libya is high. Of 922 hepatitis patients treated during 1975, 377 were males and 545 were females. The case fatality-rate was 0.53% for males and 7-67% for females. In 293 pregnant women it was 12-97% compared with 1-6% in 252 non-pregnant women. In pregnant women deaths occurred mainly in the last trimester. Although 18-4% of the male patients and 15-2% of the women were hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive, no patient shown to be antigen-positive died. The frequency of hepatitis in the second half of the year fell both in pregnant women and in the general population, suggesting a warning hepatitis-A epidemic. The exact cause of the high mortality in pregnant women is not clear, but it may have a nutritional basis.