[Maternal mortality from eclampsia. A 5-year experience].

Eclampsia is the most important cause of maternal mortality in our hospital. The main purpose of the present study was to define the main clinical, social and demographic profiles of the pregnant women at risk of fatality due to eclampsia. Of a total 71 maternal deaths that took place our hospital from January 1991 to December 1995, 37 cases were due to eclampsia, and they are the subject of the present analysis.

RESULTS

The fatalities due to eclampsia represented 52.1% of the total mortality. The average age of these women were 26 years, 46% were primigravid and 20% were chronically hypertensive. Eclampsia was diagnosed at an average of 33 weeks gestation. The most important clinical signs were: severe headache, vomiting and convulsions. Systolic blood pressure on admission was 160 mm Hg with an average of 110 mm Hg for the diastolic figure. Proteinuria greater that 3 g/L was present in 45% of the cases. Signs of hemolysis, a platelet count below 100,000 mm3 and liver involvement with increased levels of amino-transferases.

CONCLUSIONS

The pregnant women likely to die from eclampsia seems to be relatively older, multipara, with underlying chronic hypertension, with early onset of the clinical picture, and with multisystemic manifestations of the disease, mainly in the hematologic, hepatic and neurologic territories.