Maternal complications of hypertension in pregnancy – A five year study

Abstract

Introduction: Hypertension is the most common medical problem encountered in pregnancy. Approximately 18% of maternal deaths worldwide are due to hypertension complicating pregnancy. For every woman who dies, it is estimated that 20 others suffer severe morbidity or disability. The proportion of women surviving severe maternal complications has been proposed as a useful gauge for the evaluation of the quality of maternal health care and its determinants, with the potential to complement the information obtained from the reviews of maternal deaths. Objectives: To study the prevalence and document the incidence of various maternal complications in women with hypertension in pregnancy. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at JSS hospital, Mysuru. The medical records of women with hypertension in pregnancy from 2011 to 2015 were retrieved. The maternal complications were documented. Results: The prevalence of hypertension in pregnancy was 8.5%. Mild pre eclampsia was the most commonly encountered problem. Majority of the women developed hypertension only after 34 weeks. However, various complications such as abruptio placentae, HELLP, acute renal shutdown, disseminated intravascular coagulation, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, retinal changes, and ascites were observed. The mortality rate was 1.6%. Conclusion: Hypertension continues to be a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. However, with timely management, the complications and mortality can be reduced. Keywords: Hypertension, Pregnancy, Pre eclampsia, Eclampsia, HELLP.