Seasonal Impact in the Frequency of Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy

Seasonal Impact in the Frequency of Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy

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Objective: To evaluate the presence of any seasonal variation in the frequency of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP).Study Design: A total of 126 cases with ICP were compared with a cohort of 37614 pregnant women who delivered.The diagnosis ICP was performed on the basis of severe itching and the absence of dermal rash and any other hepatic disease, 2" x 6" with the co-existence of elevated serum aminotransferase levels and/or serum bile acid concentration.

For each month and season, observed and expected ICP rates were analysed and compared by using chi-square statistics.Multivariate logistic regression was performed to investigate certain parameters on cumulative risk.Results: A significantly lower frequency of ICP in winter (6/126 (4.

8%), p=0.001) and a significantly higher Shirt frequency in spring (44/126 (34.9%), p=0.

034) were detected.A 2.1 and 3.

8-fold higher risk were found for the nulliparity and the twin pregnancy, respectively.Logistic regression analysis confirmed the significant (10-fold) decrease in the frequency of ICP in winter.The significance of spring did not persist after the adjustment.

Conclusion: Main outcome of the study points at seasonality in ICP frequency.Future studies in different populations may reveal data about factors that interact with seasonality and playing roles in ICP.