PREVALENCE, MANAGEMENT AND OUTCOME IN ECLAMPSIA

Objective: To review the management of eclampsia in our institution. M ethod:The prevalence, management and outcome of women with eclampsia o ver a period of 8 years were reviewed at our referral medical center. There were 444 patients with eclampsia among 5757 deliveries (1 in 12. 96 deliveries or 7.71% of deliveries). Most of the cases were uneducat ed and had received no antenatal care. One hundred eighty-one cases we re nulliparous (40.77%). High parities of more than five were observed in 27.93% of cases. A standard magnesium sulfate regimen, similar to Prichard's intramuscular regimen, was used. Results: Magnesium sulfate effectively controlled the convulsions. The incidence of abdominal de livery among 397 cases with ante- and intrapartum eclampsia was 50.12% . Perinatal mortality was very high (598.47%0) for all cases. Maternal complications were serious and led to maternal death in 42 women (9.4 6%). Conclusion: Eclampsia is still a serious obstetric complication p articularly in uneducated women who do not receive antenatal care.