Maternal Outcomes of Eclampsia at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital: A Six-Year Retrospective Review

Background: Eclampsia is one of the leading causes of maternal morbidity and mortality. Objectives: To determine the incidence as well as the maternal outcomes of eclampsia at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). Methods: This was a retrospective review. Results: During the six-year review period, 4182 women gave birth at our facility, out of which 67 cases of eclampsia were diagnosed (16 per 1000 deliveries). Four women died constituting a case fatality rate of 5.9%. Fifteen women were admitted to the intensive care unit, 6 women had acute kidney injury while 5 had abruptio placentae. Further comparison of our data with previous studies from our institution decades ago showed a continuous decrease in total number of eclamptic cases presenting to our facility (572 eclamptics in 1977 - 1986, 299 ECLAMPTICS IN 1986 - 1995, 165 IN 1996-2005 AND 67 IN 2015-2020). Conclusion: The case fatality rate from eclampsia is still high in our hospital. Increased utilisation of antenatal care may play an important role in improving the maternal outcomes from this life-threatening obstetric condition. There is need for maternal education and increase awareness on the importance of antenatal care and early referral to tertiary level of care in order to reverse this trend. Authors A A Oluwole 1 2, A O Ugwu 2, A P Soibi-Harry 2, S R Garba 2, K S Okunade 1 2, C C Makwe 1 2, E Owie 2, S I Omisakin 1 2, N K Ani-Ugwu 3, I T Okafor 2, U Ifezue 4, J A Olamijulo 1 2