DETERMINANTS OF MATERNAL MORTALITY IN ECLAMPSIA IN INDIA

Two hundred and seventy-one pregnant mothers with eclamptic seizures a dmitted in a tertiary level teaching institution in South India over a period of 9 years from 1984 to 1992 were critically analysed with a p articular reference to maternal mortality. The incidence of eclampsia was 0.87% of the total hospital deliveries (1 in 115 deliveries) and w as increasing in consecutive years. Seventy per cent of the patients w ere primagravidas and more than 95% of them had not received antenatal care and were alarmingly unaware of any kind of examination during pr egnancy. Eclampsia accounted for 20.9% of all maternal deaths during t he same period and the case mortality rate was 7.8%. There is an urgen t need to impart special training in antenatal care to non-obstetricia n doctors as well as paramedical staff working in the community and to provide health education to the community to reduce mortality from ec lampsia.