[Eclampsia: retrospective study about 16 cases]

[Maternal and perinatal prognosis of eclampsia at the Timbuktu Hospital in Mali]

Eclampsia is one of the leading causes of maternal death worldwide. The purpose of our study was to determine maternal and perinatal prognosis of eclampsia at the Timbuktu Hospital in Mali. We conducted a descriptive, retrospective study of patients with eclampsia during pregnancy or delivery at the Timbuktu Hospital from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2017. Out of 4.951 deliveries, 116 were marked by eclampsia, reflecting an overall rate of 2.3%. These patients were mainly women younger than 26 years (85.3%), primiparous (81%), admitted on average 8 hours after the first crisis. Cesarean section was performed in 77.6% of cases. Magnesium sulphate was used in 75% of cases. Maternal and perinatal mortality accounted for 4.3% and 21.5%, respectively. Poor maternal prognosis factor was Glasgow score ≤ 8 on admission (p: 0.004). Poor perinatal prognosis factors were to be resident outside the city of Timbuktu (p: 0.000), the absence of antenatal consultation (p: 0.020) and vaginal delivery (p: 0.012). Thus, improving maternal and perinatal prognosis requires proper monitoring of pregnancies and reduction of delays in accessing adequate care.

[Ocular manifestations in severe pre-eclampsia or eclampsia in Souro Sanou University Hospital in Bobo Dioulasso]

La pré-éclampsie sévère est un problème de santé publique. L'atteinte oculaire est une de ses nombreuses complications. Le but de notre travail était de décrire les atteintes oculaires chez les patientes présentant une pré-éclampsie et/ou éclampsie afin de contribuer à leur meilleure prise en charge. Il s'est agi d'une étude transversale descriptive à collecte prospective allant du 1^er novembre 2013 au 31 juillet 2014, chez les patientes ayant souffert de pré-éclampsie sévère/éclampsie. Nous avons inclus 127 patientes dans notre étude. La moyenne d’âge des patientes de notre étude était de 26,37 ans (ET= 6,8 ans), avec des extrêmes de 15 et 40 ans. Les tranches d’âge les plus représentées étaient celles de 26 à 30 ans avec 29,1% des cas et celle des 15 à 20 ans avec 25,2%. Le diagnostic de pré-éclampsie sévère a été retenu dans 69,3% des cas. Les primigestes représentaient 40,9% de la population. Les troubles visuels à type de phosphènes ont été observés chez 33,1% des patientes. Nous avons noté un courant granulaire conjonctival dans 41,7%, des lésions du segment postérieur chez 32,3% des patientes. Ces résultats ont été discutés par rapport à la littérature, et nous notons plus de cas d'atteinte rétinienne. Nous n'avons pas trouvé de lien statistiquement significatif entre la tension artérielle à l'admission et le stade de la rétinopathie hypertensive. Les complications oculaires de la pré-éclampsie sévère sont très fréquentes et souvent ignorées. Les atteintes rétiniennes sont fréquentes mais de bon pronostic.

Maternal mortality predictors in women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are multisystem disorders unique to human pregnancy. They are becoming the leading causes of maternal mortality worldwide, with the majority of deaths occurring in low income countries. However, little is known about the predictors of maternal mortality in women with HDP.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study was conducted between 2008 and 2013 in three university teaching hospitals among 1015 women admitted with a diagnosis of HDP. Statistically significant associations were assessed by the hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence using the Cox proportional hazards model and by the Log Rank test using the Kaplan-Meier survival analyses.

RESULTS

There were 51(5%) maternal deaths and the majority died after they developed eclampsia. The median delay in arrival among the deaths was longer than the survivors. The multivariate survival analyses showed an increased risk of maternal mortality among women with eclampsia (HR=8.4), no antenatal care (HR=2.3), being grand multiparous (HR=2.8), having low diastolic blood pressure (HR=4.5), high creatinine level (HR=9.9), use of diazepam as anticonvulsant (HR=2.7) and untreated with antihypertensive drug (HR=4.2).

CONCLUSIONS

The case fatality rate of HDP was among the highest in the world and a delay in initiation of treatment because of delay in health care-seeking contributed to the majority of maternal deaths.

[Epidemiological profile and management of eclampsia in Senegal: about 62 cases]

Introduction

L'objectif de cette étude etait d'apprécier les caractéristiques épidémiologiques et cliniques de l’éclampsie et d’évaluer la prise en charge et le pronostic maternel et périnatal.

Méthodes

Étude descriptive rétrospective sur 3 années (2007-2010) dans un service de Gynécologie Obstétrique de Dakar (Sénégal). Le critère d'inclusion était toute crise convulsive en période gravido-puerpérale dans un contexte de prééclampsie.

Résultats

Sur un total de 4587 accouchements, 62 cas d’éclampsie étaient enregistrés représentant une incidence de 1,35%. Le profil retrouvé était celui d'une jeune femme (24 ans), primipare (58.1%), habitant la banlieue dakaroise (83.8%), porteuse d'une grossesse à terme (56.5%), mal suivie (82.3%) et référée par un poste de santé environnant (82.3%). La crise était survenue en antépartum et en post-partum dans 72.5 et 27,5% respectivement. Toutes les patientes présentaient une HTA ; l’‘dème et la protéinurie étaient retrouvés dans 72.5 et 84% respectivement. La majorité des patientes (88%) avait présenté plus de deux crises et l’état de mal éclamptique concernait 14.5% des cas. Le sulfate de magnésium était utilisé chez toutes les patientes. La césarienne était le mode d'accouchement largement adopté (75.5%) pour les patientes reçues en antépartum. Le pronostic maternel était marqué par un cas de décès. La mortalité périnatale était de 130%.

Conclusion

L’éclampsie est un problème de santé publique dans les pays en développement. Les principaux facteurs de risque sont la primiparité et l’âge jeûne. L'administration du sulfate de magnésium et la césarienne permettent d'améliorer le pronostic maternel et foetal. La prévention passe nécessairement par un suivi prénatal de qualité.

[Magnesium sulfate in the prophylaxis of eclampsia: a retrospective study]

INTRODUCTION

The use of magnesium sulfate (MgSO(4)) has been advocated since 2000 in France in the management of eclampsia. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of use of this treatment for eclampsia in a French department.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

All patients obstetrical patients admitted to Critical Care Units of Seine-Maritime for eclampsia over a period of 7 years (2002-2008) were included. Obstetric data, the treatment used for eclampsia and pre-eclampsia and maternofetal complications were collected. The primary outcome parameter was the use of MgSO(4) in the secondary prevention of eclampsia.

RESULTS

Thirty-nine patients were included. Nineteen patients (48%) had eclampsia in prepartum, three (8%) in per-partum and 17 (44%) in post-partum periods. The use of MgSO(4) in the secondary prevention of eclampsia was observed in 92% of cases (36/39). Primary prevention was seen in 8% of cases. The duration of treatment was 2 days (1-7 days). The maternal and perinatal mortality was respectively 2.5 and 11%.

CONCLUSION

In this study, the use of MgSO(4) in the secondary prevention is frequent. This result emphasizes the importance of the recommendations of learned societies in the homogenization of the management of rare but serious conditions such as eclampsia.

[Sixty-nine consecutive cases of eclampsia: prodromes and circumstances]

OBJECTIVE

To specify clinical and biological characteristics of patients developing eclampsia, and identify atypical eclampsia without prior signs and symptoms of severe preeclampsia.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This was a retrospective observational study conducted from January 1996 to December 2008 in a maternity type IIB in French Guiana. Data of patients who experienced eclampsia were collected from obstetric records.

RESULTS

Sixty-nine patients were selected among 21,525 patients who delivered during this period, corresponding to a prevalence of 3.2 ‰. The average patient age was 21 years (range from 12 to 45 years). Sixty-six percent of patients were nulliparous. The gestational age was greater than 37 weeks of gestation for 62% of patients, between 26 and 37 weeks of gestation for 36% and less than 26 weeks of gestation for 2% of patients. Two thirds of the patients had been examined less than a month before the eclamptic seizure, blood pressure was normal in 62% of cases. Seventy-four percent of patients had at least one Doppler study of the uterine and umbilical arteries velocimetry, the Dopplers studies were normal in 78% of cases. The eclampsia occurred in ante-, peri- and post-partum in 59, 6 and 35% of the cases, respectively 10% of patients were hospitalized for preeclampsia at the time of eclamptic seizure. Less than 10% of patients developed HELLP syndrome. One patient had died of aspiration pneumonia. Newborns had a mean birth weight over 2500 g in 88% of cases. During the follow-up period, 41% of the patients had subsequent pregnancies with 62% without hypertension, 24% complicated by recurrent gestational hypertension, 24% by preeclampsia and 4% by eclampsia.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

In a majority of the patients in our study, eclampsia was the main manifestation, and only 10% were preceded by severe preeclampsia. These results are comparable to recent studies, which found in their series that 40 to 60% of eclampsia manifested without preeclamptic prodromi. Eclampsia can occur after an unremarkable pregnancy, in women without risk factors, and then it is hardly predictable. Prenatal follow-up must be very cautious paying attention to any markers such as intermittent hypertension, functional symptoms or appearance of proteinuria.