Perinatal mortality associated with eclampsia in Kaduna, Northern Nigeria.

Background: Eclampsia is an obstetric disorder with serious materno-fetal consequences. The objective of this study is to determine perinatal mortality rate associated with eclampsia in Kaduna Northern Nigeria.

Methods: A retrospective study of 27 perinatal deaths associated with 61 cases of eclampsia in the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Kaduna (ABUTHK) from 1st January 1990 to 31st December 2000 was done. Resource materials were the admission records, case files, delivery and neonatal case files of women and their babies. The records were reviewed for relevant bio-social, obstetric and neonatal data.

Results: Perinatal mortality rate associated with eclampsia was 409/1000 births. It was highest amongst women in the age group 35 years and above, in the two extremes of parity, in those not registered for care, in women with poor control of eclampsia fits and those with ante partum eclampsia.Perinatal mortality rate decreased as gestational age rose. The perinatal mortality rate for those delivered vaginally was 706/1000, and 150/1000 for those delivered abdominally with a (P<0.05).

Conclusions: Perinatal mortality rate associated with eclampsia is very high. Making prenatal care available to all, improving the quality of care, early resort to caesarean section and use of perimorterm caesarean section in carefully selected women may reduce the deaths.