Publication:

Severe pre-eclampsia: epidemiological, diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic aspects at Hospital Principal Dakar from January 2019 to December 2020

Background Preeclampsia, major public health problem, is one of the leading causes of maternal and infant mortality. It is increasingly frequent in our referral health centers, especially in its severe form.

Methods Retrospective descriptive and analytical study about severe preeclampsia at the Maternity of Hospital Principal Dakar, from 01 January 2019 to 31 December 2020.

Results Frequency of severe preeclampsia was 3.09%. Medical evacuation (70.59%) was the most frequent mode of admission. Patients were in average 29.8 years and primipare. Personal medical history was dominated by high blood pressure (16.29%). The average gestational age was 34+2 days, but pregnancy was carried to term by the majority of patients. Functional signs were dominated by headache (40.65%). Blood pressure was greater than or equal to 160/90 mmHg (90.32%). Hyperuricemia was the most frequent biological anomaly after proteinuria (45.1%). Complications were dominated by retroplacental hematoma (4.49%) and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) (28.48%). Calcium channel blockers (81.88%) were the main antihypertensive agents administered. Caesarean section was the most common delivery method (80.46%). The maternal prognosis was good, with no maternal deaths recorded. Perinatal mortality was 173.9%.

Conclusions Preeclampsia remains a fearsome pregnancy’s pathology. Raising awareness of pregnant women during ANC on the risks of pre-eclampsia, retraining of health personnel, close and early monitoring of women at risk and management in a multidisciplinary setting help to improve the maternal-fetal prognosis.