CHANGES IN FREQUENCY AND ETIOLOGY OF ACUTE-RENAL-FAILURE IN PREGNANCY(1980-1997)

In recent years, the incidence of acute renal failure (ARF) in pregnan cy has decreased in developed countries. This cause of this decline ha s been reported to be liberalized abortion laws and improved prenatal care. The aim of this study was to determine if the incidence and etio logy of ARE in pregnancy in our population had undergone similar chang es. Between January 1, 1980 and January 1 1997 the number of the patie nts with ARF was 487. In 74 (15%) of these patients, the etiology of A RF was associated with pregnancy. The frequency of ARF in pregnancy wa s 17.4% between January 1980 and August 1985, 15.4% between September 1985 and November 1989, 13.5% between December 1989 and January 1997 T he differences between the frequencies were not statistically signific ant (p > 0.5). In the present series, the various disorders leading to ARF in pregnancy were abortion (30%), HELP syndrome and pre-eclampsia (14%), preeclampsia or eclampsia (12%), postpartum hemorrhage (15%), fetal death (12%), abruptio placentae (6%) and placentae previa (1%).