Vomiting in early pregnancy as seen in a tertiary hospital in North-West Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Vomiting is a common complaint in early pregnancy. It is experienced in 80% of pregnancies and usually remits after 14 weeks. The aetiology is unknown, although there are various likely mechanisms, including the role of human chorionic gonadotrophin and its probable thytrophic activity. Objective: To review the presentation of patients coming with vomiting in early pregnancy and identifiable causes, at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH). Materials and Methods : Consecutive pregnant women's records, who presented with vomiting in early pregnancy between January 1 2010 and December 31 2011 in the gynecological emergency unit of AKTH, were retrieved. Information on clinical presentation, laboratory tests and pelvic ultrasound scans were extracted. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16 and P Results: One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six patients were seen. Sixty-one were due to vomiting in pregnancy, giving an incidence of 3.3%. Vomiting in pregnancy was the most common among those aged 21-30 years (48.3%), compared to those aged 31-40 years (16.7%). The differences was statistically significant ( P = 0.01). Most patients were in their first pregnancy or had only one previous delivery (50%). The condition was uncommon at higher parities. The differences were statistically significant ( P = 0.001). Majority of the patients presented at 6-15 weeks (96.6%) compared to 16-20 weeks (3.3%) gestation. The etiology of vomiting was unknown in 36.7% of the patients, was urinary tract infection (UTI) in 31.7%, malaria in 23.3%, gastroenteritis in 5% and peptic ulcer disease in 3.3%. Conclusion: The cause of vomiting in early pregnancy is unknown in a third of all cases studied. UTI is the commonest known cause of vomiting in pregnancy in our centre.