Prevalence, Risk Factors and Foetomaternal Outcomes Associated with Pre‑eclampsia among Pregnant Women in Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado‑Ekiti, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Pre‑eclampsia is one of the leading causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality globally. There is a paucity of data regarding pre‑eclampsia and associated risk factors in Ekiti State, Nigeria.
Objective: The aim was to assess the prevalence of pre‑eclampsia, the associated risk factors and foetomaternal outcomes among women who delivered in the Teaching Hospital in Ekiti State.
Materials and Methods: Case notes of women who delivered in the hospital between 1st January, 2010, and 31st December, 2014, were retrospectively reviewed and relevant data extracted and entered into a standardised pro forma. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences for Windows version 20. Relationships between variables were determined using Pearson correlation while Student t‑test was used to assess differences between two means. The level of statistical significance was set at P < 0.05.
Results: One hundred and forty‑six (1.9%) of the 7709 women who delivered in the hospital during the 5‑year period developed pre‑eclampsia. One hundred and twenty (86.3%) of the 146 case notes were available for analysis. The mean age of respondents was 30 (5.2) years. There was a weak but significant correlation between parity and systolic blood pressure (BP) (r = 0.20, P = 0.02). A higher mean systolic and diastolic BP was recorded among unbooked women compared with booked women. The study showed that unbooked women had statistically significantly higher mean systolic (t = 2.69, P = 0.01) and diastolic (t = 3.03, P = 0.01) BP. The most common foetomaternal morbidities were birth asphyxia in 25 (19.8%), eclampsia in 23 (18.3%) and post‑partum haemorrhage in 5 (3.9%). The maternal and foetal mortality were rates of 3.2% and 4.8%, respectively.
Conclusion: Pre‑eclampsia was a major contributor to maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality in Ekiti State. Interventions to address pre‑eclampsia should focus on early booking and prompt identification of women at risk for appropriate management and support.