Management of eclampsia; 7 year study in Faisalabad

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: 1. To evaluate various factors responsible for the disease. 2. Effectiveness of mother and child health activities and outcome of the management. DESIGN: Prospective study. PERIOD [January 1989-Dec 1995. SETTING: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Allied Hospital Faisalabad. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Out of 16952 total births, 249 patients had eclampsia and were managed according to the set protocol. The incidence of eclampsia was 1.4% and matena1 mortality was 13.6%. Eclamptic patients from rural area were 66.5% and that of urban area was 33.7%, 54% patients were primigravida and 46% were multigravidas. The percentage of ante, Intra and postpartum eclampsia were 56, 57, and 12 respectively. 45% patients had abdominal delivery, 30% had forceps delivery, 11% delivered at home, 8% had vaginal delivery in hospital and 6% expired undelivered. Community education programme created awareness about the importance of antenatal check up which led to early detection and treatment of pre-eclampsia thereby preventing development of eclampsia. Special programme of training the traditioinal birth attendants [TBA] to recoginized pre-eclampsia in early stage and to refer the patient to the hospital, and availability of reliable transport to bring the patient from periphery or patient's home to the hospital where prompt treatment be started by the experienced staff would certainly decrease the incidence of eclampsia and its adverse outcome: