Most published cases of cytomegalovirus infection in pregnancy relate to congenital abnormalities in neonates infected in early pregnancy, while the mother remains asymptomatic. We describe a diagnostically challenging case of an immunosuppressed woman with scleroderma who developed deranged liver function tests attributed to intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy and haemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelets syndrome but was ultimately found to have disseminated cytomegalovirus. Cytomegalovirus can present in a myriad of ways. Clinicians caring for immunocompromised pregnant women should consider cytomegalovirus as a possible differential diagnosis when reviewing abnormal liver function tests.
Keywords: HELLP syndrome; Pregnancy; cytomegalovirus infection; immunocompromised; scleroderma.