Liver and gastrointestinal diseases of pregnancy

Abstract This chapter first looks at pregnancy-specific disorders that cause de novo abnormal serum liver tests in pregnancy. These include: hypertension-related liver diseases; acute fatty liver of pregnancy; intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy; hyperemesis gravidarum; and viral hepatitis, probably the most commonly recognized cause of jaundice occurring during pregnancy worldwide. The chapter also describes the influence of pregnancy on pre-existing diseases, the effect of these diseases on pregnancy outcome, the impact of specific drugs used to treat women with liver and gastrointestinal disorders on the fetus.