Characterization of hypertensive disorders induced by pregnancy (severe preeclampsia/eclampsia)

Abstract

There are very few studies that describe hypertensive disorders induced by pregnancy in Guatemala. Being an underdeveloped country, with a poor educational and socioeconomic level, it has a high maternal mortality rate (153 dead women per 100 thousand live births) and ranks fourth in Latin America in this indicator. Pregnancy-induced hypertension is one of the main causes. Patients who suffered severe preeclampsia/eclampsia in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of Roosevelt Hospital in the period from January to October 2012 were characterized. Study
descriptive, retrospective, quantitative, using a non-probabilistic sample in which all patients who presented severe preeclampsia/eclampsia were included. A total of 8731 patients were found, of which 224 patients with severe preeclampsia and 20 patients with eclampsia over the course of the 10 months of the study. Most of the patients came from the metropolitan area; Most patients with severe preeclampsia were primiparous and most eclamptic patients were multiparous. 63% of patients with both hypertensive disorders attended the primary level of care. 80% of the patients with both hypertensive disorders were between 15 and 35 years of age, with illiteracy of 6% in patients in both hypertensive groups. The most common pregnancy resolution was cesarean section. The most common fetal complication was acute fetal distress and mortality was 8.9 per 1000 for severely preeclamptic patients.