A clinical and epidemiological study on eclampsia in the obstetrics and gynecology department of Catania in the years 1978-1983

From January 1978 to July 1983 22 patients have recovered from eclampsia in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department - Vitt. Emanuele II Hospital - Catania University. 64% of the patients had hypertension in pregnancy combined with edema in 92.85% of the cases (13 cases) and with proteinuria in 18% of the cases (4 cases). Eclampsia manifested itself before labour in 28.57% (6 cases), during labour in 19.05% (4 cases), in postpartum in 19.05% (4 cases) and in the successive three days after delivery in 33.33% (7 cases). Perinatal death rate was 11.28% and in all the cases it was due to intrauterine fetal death. In 22 patients treated there was a case of acute pulmonary edema and a case of maternal death.