Clinical course of pregnant women with chronic hepatitis C virus infectionand risk of mother-to-child hepatitis C virus transmission

As far as concerns chronic hepatitis C virus infection in pregnant women, d ifferent points remain to be elucidated, such as the clinical course, the r ate of mother-to-child hepatitis C virus transmission and, in particular: i ts route and the possible risk factors. This review aimed to analyse curren t data on the prevalence of chronic hepatitis C virus infection in pregnant women and its relationship with risk factors, the rate of mother-to-child hepatitis C virus transmission and the factors possibly involved, particula rly the maternal hepatitis C virus viral load and the human immunodeficienc y virus coinfection, and the type of delivery and feeding. Finally, the app ropriate timing for HCV-RNA testing in newborns has been reviewed.