Risk Factors Associated with Adverse Maternal and Prenatal Outcome in Pregnancies complicated by Preeclampsia Eclampsia

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: 1. To determine the epidemiology of pre-eclampsia / eclampsia. 2. To identify risk factors associated with adverse maternal outcome in women with pre-eclampsia / eclampsia. 3. To identify risk factors associated with adverse perinatal outcome in women with pre-eclampsia / eclampsia. 4. To develop a module for counselling the pregnant women who are at risk for developing pre-eclampsia / eclampsia in order to reduce the adverse maternal and perinatal outcome. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective survey design with nested case - control study. SETTING: The study was conducted at the Institute of obstetrics and Gynaecology and Govt. Women and Children Hospital, Chennai. STUDY POPULATION: Six Hundred and Fifty Seven pregnant women who were diagnosed as pre-eclamplsia/eclampsia and admitted with labour pains or with preeclamptic complications. The patients were identified either from the labour ward and the Intensive Care Unit of the above hospital. RESULTS: Among the 657 women admitted for pre-eclampsia / eclampsia, about 31% were from rural community and 4% did not have any formal education. About 7.5% of pre-eclamptic / eclamptic women were in their teenage and the mean age of pre-eclamptic / eclamptic women was 24.15 years (SD 4.05) with a minimum of 16 and maximum of 39 years. Nearly 48% of pre-eclamptic / eclamptic women began their marital life at their teenage of which 3.5% were married and began their sexual life at 15 years or earlier. The mean age for marriage was 20.2 years (SD 3.26) with a minimum of 13 and a maximum of 34 years. CONCLUSION: Pre-eclampsia / eclampsia is not a totally preventable disease. And somewhat, it is found more related to chains of social ills such as limited or no antenatal and poor reproductive education. Women should be well informed and choice offered on evidence - based information where possible. They must be informed that there is effective disease management available for pre-eclampsia at early stage, and early intervention is life saving than waiting or treating a complication.