Comparison of maternal and neonatal outcomes between acute fatty liver of pregnancy and hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelets syndrome: a retrospective cohort study

• Published in: BMC pregnancy and childbirth Vol. 21; no. 1; p. 293
• Main Authors: Ang, Sau Xiong, Chen, Chie-Pein, Sun, Fang-Ju, Chen, Chen-Yu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central 12.04.2021; BMC
• Subjects: Acute fatty liver of pregnancy; Birth weight; Blood platelets; Blood pressure; Cohort analysis; Confidence intervals; Creatinine; Dehydrogenases; Edema; Enzymes; Gallbladder diseases; Gestational age; HELLP syndrome; Hemorrhage; Hepatitis; Hypertension; Laboratories; Liver diseases; Multiple organ dysfunction; Neonatal morbidity; Newborn babies; Patients; Preeclampsia; Pregnancy; Regression analysis; Respiratory distress syndrome; Womens health; United States > US; Tennessee; Taiwan; Acute fatty liver of pregnancy; Neonatal morbidity; Multiple organ dysfunction; HELLP syndrome
• ISSN: 1471-2393; 1471-2393
• DOI: 10.1186/s12884-021-03761-1

Acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP) and hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelets (HELLP) syndrome are two uncommon disorders that mimic each other clinically, but are distinct pathophysiologically. This study aimed to compare maternal and neonatal outcomes between AFLP and HELLP syndrome. This retrospective cohort study was performed at a tertiary referral center in Taiwan between June 2004 and April 2020. We used the Swansea Criteria to diagnose AFLP, and the Tennessee Classification System to diagnose HELLP syndrome. Maternal characteristics, laboratory data, complications, and neonatal outcomes were compared. We analyzed the categorical variables with Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test and continuous variables with Student's t test or Mann-Whitney U test. Subsequent logistic regression analyses adjusting by potential confounding factors with significant difference were analyzed. During the study period, 21 women had AFLP and 80 women had HELLP syndrome. There was a higher rate of preeclampsia (95.0 % versus 23.8 %) in the HELLP syndrome group compared to the AFLP group. However, the AFLP group had more other maternal complications including jaundice (85.7 % versus 13.8 %), acute kidney injury (61.9 % versus 15.0 %), disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (66.7 % versus 8.8 %), and sepsis (47.6 % versus 10.0 %) compared to the HELLP syndrome group. Nevertheless, higher rates of small for gestational age neonates (57.1 % versus 33.3 %), neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (39.2 % versus 8.3 %) and neonatal sepsis (34.2 % versus 12.5 %) were noted in the HELLP syndrome group. AFLP is associated with a higher rate of multiple organ dysfunction in mothers, whereas HELLP syndrome is associated with a higher rate of neonatal morbidity.