Etiology, Clinical Manifestations, Diagnosis and Management of Antepartum Hemorrhage in Two Referral Hospitals in Douala-Cameroon

Abstract

Antepartum hemorrhage certainly has an easy clinical diagnosis, but it is complex because of its complications and multidisciplinary treatment. Despite initial care, some patients are still subject to perinatal and maternal morbidity and mortality. To limit these consequences, our study aims to identify the etiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis and management of antepartum hemorrhage at the Laquintinie Hospital and the General Hospital of Douala in Cameroon. To achieve this objective, a quantitative descriptive study was conducted from May 1, 2020 to May 1, 2022 and included 166 pregnant women diagnosed with antepartum hemorrhage in the maternity wards of these hospitals. Data was collected by reviewing medical records and interviewing mothers using a questionnaire. We used the convenience sampling technique and the data collected were processed with SPSS 2.3. At the end of this analysis, the study showed that the most recurrent cause of antepartum hemorrhage was placenta abruption (51.81%). The clinical consequence was marked mainly by anemia (50.60%). Caesarean section was the most common method of management (94.20%). The results suggest that antepartum hemorrhage is a public health problem. Keywords: Antepartum hemorrhage, Clinical manifestation, Diagnosis, Management of antepartum bleeding; public health problem.