Obstetrics Outcome Among Pre-Eclamptic Women in North-Central Nigeria. A Comparative Case Control Study
Abstract:
Introduction : Pre-eclampsia (PE) is the commonest hypertensive disorder in pregnancy. It is a leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality globally, especially in developing countries, including Nigeria. Method: This was a prospective case control study involving 83 pre-eclamptic and 83 gestational age-matched nor motensive pregnant women at a tertiary hospital in north central Nigeria. They were treated and followed up till the end of the pregnancy to determine the outcome. Ethical approval was obtained. Result: 6 of the cases and 5 of the controls were lost to follow-up, leaving 77 cases and 78 controls for data collec tion. Average age of the study participants was 32 ± 5.6yrs for cases and 30 ± 4.9yrs for controls. The average ges tational age at booking was 32.9wks ± 3.81 for cases and 33.39wks ± 4.23 for controls. The mean SBP was 168.19 ± 14.33mmHg and DBP 108.68 ± 19.34mmHg for case group while the control had SBP 114.10 ± 7.97mmHg and DBP 73.25 ± 6.07mmHg. 96%(n=74) of pre-eclamptic had unfavourable obstetric outcomes compared with 6%(n=5) of controls with unfavourable out comes. These include maternal mortality, intrauterine fetal death, perinatal death, Low birth weight, preterm deliv ery, fetal distress, Low APGAR score. Conclusion: The late gestational age at antenatal registration is a reflection of the nationwide practice among Nigerian women. The combined effect of the high prevalence of severe pre- eclampsia and late presentation for medical intervention is probably responsible in part for the unfavourable obstetric outcomes seen among this cohort of patients in this study.
