A Clinical Study on Eclampsia in a Referral Hospital A Clinical Study on Eclampsia in a Referral Hospital

Objective: To analyze the cases of eclampsia in a referral hospital, like GGS Medical College, Faridkot, with special focus on booked/unbooked/referred, age, parity and antenatal care. Also fetomaternal outcome was seen in all the cases. Materials and methods: All the cases of eclampsia referred from nearby rural areas, civil hospitals and CHCs sent here for specialist care were studied in this 2 years study from July 2003 to June 2005. Results and conclusions: A total of 50 cases of eclampsia were admitted. The incidence came out to be 7.4%. Ninetyeight percent of cases were unbooked. Majority of the cases belonged to 21 to 30 years age group. Fifty-six percent of the cases were primigravida. Eighty-eight percent had no antenatal check-up at all. Thirty percent of babies were still born and 12% had early neonatal death. There were three maternal deaths. Antepartum eclampsia was most common seen in 68% of cases. We concluded that there is lack of antenatal care in rural areas and urban slums and this needs to be addressed to prevent this serious complication of pregnancy. Moreover, personnel at district hospitals and CHCs should be capable of administering magnesium sulfate, the anticonvulsant as none of the patient threw a fit after loading dose of magnesium sulfate.