Perinatal mortality and maternal mortality and morbidity in rheumatic heart disease

ABSTRACT

The early onset of rheumatic fever with frequent recurrence and rapid progression to severe and incapacating chronic valcular disease has been repeatedly highlighted in Nigeria. Interestingly; the peak frequency of age distribution of rheumatic heart disease (RHD ) is in the early childbearing age. This prospective study was therefore undertaken to evaluate perinatal mortality and maternal morbidity and mortality in RHD in pregnant Nigerians in the University College Hospital; Ibadan; Nigeria; from January 1972 to December 1979. The clinical course of 44 pregnancies in 32 Nigerian women with RHD was studied. The perinatal and maternal deaths were recorded. While perinatal mortality among patients with RHD was found to be 90.8 per thousand; and maternal mortality 68 per thousand; the overall perinatal mortality was 60.4 per thousand and maternal mortality was 5.31 per thousand. Therefore; RHD in pregnancy appears to have substantially contributed to the high maternal mortality