Preeclampsia and eclampsia: Its burden and distribution across facilities in Ethiopia

Background This study aimed to analyse national health facility burden of preeclampsia/eclampsia and its regional distribution in Ethiopia. This evidence is an important aspect to work towards reducing maternal and newborn complications. Methods This study uses data from the 2016 Emergency Obstetrics and Newborn Care (EmONC) survey which national census of public and private health facilities that provided delivery services. Cross-tabulation of variables was conducted based on region, location, types of health facility, and the management authority of health facilities. Spatial analysis was conducted to investigate spatial regional distribution of preeclampsia/eclampsia. Results A total of 3804 health facilities were included in the survey. Nationally, preeclampsia/eclampsia contributes to 5.9% of all maternal complications and 10.5% of maternal deaths. While 82% of total deliveries were reported from health centres, hospitals and specialised centres reported nearly 10 times more cases of PE/E (23 per 1000 deliveries) than health centres (2.4 per l000 deliveries). The highest number of preeclampsia/eclampsia cases were reported in Addis Ababa and the Harari region where there were 32 and 24 cases per 1000 deliveries, respectively. A substantial proportion of direct obstetrics complications due to preeclampsia/eclampsia were reported from Afar, Somali, Harari and the Benishangul Gumuz regions (19.9%, 18.0%, 12.8%. 11.5%, respectively). Conclusions Preeclampsia/eclampsia contributed to a high proportion of maternal complications and death. Disproportionally, the highest burden of preeclampsia/eclampsia was reported in developing regions of Ethiopia. These region's health facilities'effort on case detection, reporting and evidence generation should be strengthened to inform policy especially those located in rural location.