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Abstract

Background: Eclampsia, an obstetric emergency, remains one of the commonest causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide despite various advances and initiatives in maternity care.
Materials and Methods: A 5-year retrospective, descriptive study carried out at Obstetric unit of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, (EKSUTH), Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria from 1st January, 2013 to 31st December, 2017. Information was extracted from 120 case notes and transferred to a study proforma and analysis done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 17) with continuous variables summarized using mean and standard deviation; and discrete variables summarized by numbers and percentages.
Results: The overall prevalence of eclampsia in the study was 1.7% (1 in59 deliveries). The peak age of prevalence was in the 15-19 years age group and nullipara accounted for the largest percentage (63.3%). While 85% of the patients were unbooked, 15% were booked. Headache and visual disturbance were the commonest symptoms accounting for 58.3% and 25% respectively. Acute renal failure and pulmonary oedema were the most frequent complications observed in this study occurring in 35.8% and 25% respectively. Five (4.2%) maternal deaths and twenty-one (16.8%) perinatal deaths were recorded respectively during the study period.
Conclusion: Morbidities and mortalities from eclampsia could be reduced by giving the right information and education on eclampsia. Health facilities should have effective and prompt multi-disciplinary support and essential obstetric/ intensive care in the course of managing eclamptic emergencies.

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