Patient's question:
A good sister of mine, who has been pregnant for about four or five months recently, was diagnosed with acute fatty liver during her prenatal check-up. Now she is worried about it possibly affecting the child. She wanted to ask for some advice.Doctor's answer:
Hello, the etiology of acute fatty liver of pregnancy is unclear. Since acute fatty liver of pregnancy occurs in the late stage of pregnancy and only termination of pregnancy offers a chance for recovery, it is hypothesized that hormonal changes during pregnancy disrupt fatty acid metabolism, leading to the accumulation of free fatty acids in hepatocytes and other organs such as the kidneys, pancreas, and brain, causing multi-organ damage. In recent years, there have been multiple reported cases of recurrence and genetic defects in offspring, suggesting that it may be a congenital genetic disease. Additionally, factors such as viral infection, poisoning, drugs (e.g., tetracycline), malnutrition, and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy may also contribute to the damage of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation.