Prevalence and clinical correlates of the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy at Tikur Anbessa Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

A one-year longitudinal study was conducted at Tikur Anbessa central referral Hospital to assess the prevalence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), to see the socio-demographic and clinical parameters and pregnancy outcome of pregnancies afflicted by these complications. Out of 3424 deliveries conducted during the study period, 183 (5.3%) mothers were found to have one form of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, 85.2% were cases of pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH),the majority (78.2%) were severe pre eclampsia and eclampsia; the remaining 14.8% had pregnancy aggravated hypertension (PAH) or chronic hypertension. Preterm delivery rate was 48.6% for all cases of HDP. Intervention rate was high with 44.3% induction of labor and 44.3% caesarian section, which is much higher than the over all intervention rate in the hospital's obstetric population during the studied period. Prenatal mortality rate (PNMR), case fatality rate (CFR) and intra uterine growth restriction (IUGR) were 300/1000 deliveries, 27/1000 deliveries and 41.6% respectively in mothers with HDP. Severe hypertension, high urine protein and high uric acid level were found to be associated with higher CFR, and poor prenatal outcome. The study provides base line data on HDP in a hospital obstetric population in Ethiopia. Important peculiar findings in this study were a very high rate of severe disease, PNMR and CFR compared to other institutional studies. There is a need to conduct nation wide multi center study on HDP in order to have national base line data on this important pregnancy complication.