Efficacy of Magnesium Sulphate Versus Phenytoin in Seizure Control and Prophylaxsis in Patients of Eclampsia and Severe Pre-eclampsia.

ABSTRACT

This randomized controlled prospective study was conducted on 100 patients admitted in various units of Lalla Ded Hospital Govt. Medical college Srinagar Kashmir, India during period 2004-06. Among these patients 50 had eclampsia (Group -I) and 50 had severe preeclampsia (Group-II). The patients in each group were then randomly divided into two subgroupsA and B of equal numbers. Subgroup-A was managed with magnesium sulphate and subgroup B was managed with phenytoin. The efficacy in seizure prevention and control of drug regimens used in each subgroup was then compared.Among eclamptic patients treated with magnesium sulphate, there was no recurrence of convulsions, however among those treated with phenytoin, 6 patients (24%) had recurrence of convulsions out of which one had >3 convulsions while others had 1-3 convulsions. The difference in seizure recurrence rate in the two subgroups was found to be statistically significant (p= 0.033). Among severe preeclamptic patients managed with phenytoin, two patients progressed to eclampsia, where as no preeclamptic patient allocated magnesium sulphate progressed to eclampsia; the difference between two subgroups being statistically non significant.