A recent case study published in NeoReviews described a female patient who had a prior pregnancy possibly complicated by gestational alloimmune liver disease (GALD) became pregnant again, prompting close medical monitoring during pregnancy and after delivery. Despite the high recurrence rate of GALD, there was no evidence that her latest pregnancy was affected by the disease.
Like fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT), GALD is an alloimmune condition. This case report was published in Maternal-Fetal Case Studies.
A 33-year-old pregnant patient had a previous pregnancy that ended in fetal death. This was identified at 20 weeks of gestation. Following a fetal autopsy, doctors discovered that there was hemosoderin deposition in the fetal liver and pancreas, findings that were suggestive of GALD.
Because GALD has a very high recurrence rate (90% to 95%), the patient’s current pregnancy was closely monitored. As a precautionary measure, the patient was administered intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) starting from 12 weeks of gestation. The patient underwent a fetal ultrasound at both 16 and 18 weeks of gestation. These showed a consistent growth of the fetus, with a normal-looking liver.
From 32 weeks of gestation onwards, the patient underwent detailed weekly monitoring. At 38 weeks of gestation, induction of labor resulted in a successful vaginal delivery. The patient had postpartum hemorrhage but recovered well.
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A male child was delivered and was admitted into the neonatal intensive care unit for close monitoring. Laboratory tests were not indicative of the presence of GALD. Nevertheless, the child received nirsevimab therapy prior to discharge. After discharge, the child was followed up with the gastroenterology medical team as an added precautionary measure.
GALD is a rare fetal condition that can result in fetal/newborn death. Unfortunately, it is rarely diagnosed during pregnancy because findings tend to be non-specific. In the event that a pregnancy is suspected to be affected by GALD, subsequent pregnancies are always closely monitored, given the high disease recurrence rate and the availability of effective preventative therapies.
“For pregnant patients at risk of recurrent GALD, treatment with weekly antenatal IVIG leads to a high likelihood of successful outcomes, as described in this case,” the authors of the report wrote.
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