Hi All -

        Just thought I'd pick your brains about Hepatitis C and
breastfeeding.  I had a patient today that has active Hep C and wants to
breastfeed.  She said she called UCLA infectious disease and they said they
had done some studies which indicated breastfeeding as OK.  They only warned
her not to nurse if her nipples are cracked and bleeding.  Lawrence states,
"Because of HCV's probable transmission into breast milk...breastfeeding is
not recommended when a mother has HCV." p. 208.  Then  on pg. 491 ,
"Although the Committee on Infectious Disease of the Academy of Peds states
that breastfeeding is not indicated becasue the risk of infection and
chronic hepatitis in the infant is high, there is not universal agreeement."
She goes on to summarize the following study: Nagata I, Shiraki K, Tanimoto
K et al: Mother-to-infant transmission of hepatitis C virus, J Pediatr
120:432, 1992 --   "In a series of 10 HCV carrier pregnant women and their
infants who were studied, five of the 10 had HCV RNA-positive saliva.  None
of the breast milk samples at 5 days and every month thereafter were
positive.  The infants had antibody at birth, but it gradually disappeared.
The authors believed that breast milk was not a source of the disease."

Your thoughts?  Any one aware of studies done at UCLA re: HCV?

TIA

Donna Zitzelberger, RN BSN IBCLC