Pattern of Eclampsia in Onitsha, Nigeria

Objective: To ascertain the incidence, pattern and outcome of eclampsia in mothers attending and using the obstetric services of the St. Charles Borromeo Hospital, Onitsha. Methods: A retrospective study of 102 patients that had eclampsia between January 1991 and December 2000, a ten-year period was done. Information extracted from the case-notes included maternal age, parity, booking status, maternal morbidity and mortality. Statistical analysis was with the Chi-square distribution. Results: The study revealed a hospital incidence of eclampsia was 0.65% of all deliveries. The incidence for the unbooked (1.31%) patients was higher than for the booked (0.54%) patients (X 2 =16.67, P 2 = 17.12, P Conclusion: Eclampsia is still a major health problem facing obstetric practice in this area. Good antepartum care and intensive surveillance of patients after delivery will reduce eclampsia and its complications. Key Words: Eclampsia, Postpartum surveillance Orient Journal of Medicine Vol.16(1) 2004: 16-20