Eclampsia. III. Neonatal outcome, growth, and development.

Infants of 72 recently managed women with eclampsia before delivery were studied. Infants with gestational age of 36 weeks or less (56%) were analyzed separately from those infants of more than 36 weeks' gestation (44%). In addition, premature infants of eclamptic mothers were compared with 40 premature infants whose mothers did not have any medical complications. Intrauterine growth retardation was symmetrical in all seven infants whose mothers had eclampsia prior to 32 weeks. All neurological abnormalities were associated with abruptio placentae or intrauterine growth retardation. Among the preterm infants of eclamptic mothers and those of normotensive mothers, there was no significant difference in any commonly acquired laboratory data. Neonatal complications in premature infants of eclamptic mothers were frequent. However, neonatal complications of the low-birth weight infants were strikingly similar regardless of the presence of eclampsia. It is possible that most neonatal complications are consequence of prematurity, instead of a sole consequence of eclampsia. Observations from follow-up data (up to 4 years of age) suggest normal growth and development for infants of mothers with uncomplicated eclampsia.