Abstract

Acute hepatitis C developed one month after delivery in a child whose mother was an inactive carrier of HCV and had given birth by normal vaginal delivery. Acute hepatitis C was diagnosed after one month in the child by serological, biochemical and ultra-sonographic tests. Although the patient had high liver enzyme levels (ALT 245 IU/L, AST 123 IU/L), and positivity for both anti-HCV (by ELISA) and HCV-RNA viral load (by PCR), the mother was an inactive HCV carrier. The patient was breasfed by the mother and showed spontaneous clearence without antiviral treatment after two years. Women should be examined for HCV before pregnancy in regions with medium HCV risk levels, and need to be enlightened regarding this issue. Also, considering that 20-25% of acute hepatitis C cases show spontanous clearance within 6-12 months on follow up, unnecessary treatment can be prevented.