Magnesium sulphate for treatment of eclampsia: the Nigerian experience.

The preliminary result of an ongoing study in 4 major hospitals across Nigeria on the use of magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) as an anticonvulsant in the management of eclampsia is presented. All the 21 obstetric patients with eclampsia (recruited so far) were treated with MgSO4 as the only anticonvulsant. All the patients responded well to the treatment regime in terms of control of fit, and remained conscious thereafter. There was no incidence of severe adverse reactions to the drug. The mean number of convulsions in the patients treated was 4. The observed side effects were nausea, vomiting and dizziness in 3 patients and there were 3 perinatal deaths. The findings so far on maternal and fetal outcomes support the routine administration of MgSO4 as the drug of choice for the control of convulsion in women with eclampsia.