The effect of systematic treatment of toxaemia of pregnancy upon fetal prognosis.

Systematic therapy for pre-eclampsia including diuretics was investigated in 604 patients in whom therapy was begun immediately the first symptoms appeared and continued until delivery. The control group consisted of 368 patients with toxemia from the two previous years who received no systematic therapy but who also underwent delivery at either the Turku City Maternity Hospital or the Women's Clinic of Turku University Central Hospital. Cases of pre-eclampsia gravis were significantly reduced (2.3 as compared with 7.3%). A significant difference was seen in the percentage of premature deliveries. In the experimental group this was 4.3% and in the control group 11.2%, (p less than 0.001). There was also a significant difference in the perinatal mortality, the values being 2.3 and 4.6%, respectively (p less than 0.05). The overal premature birth rate during these two periods remained unchanged, at 5.5 and 5.7%. The difference between the overall perinatal mortality rates was also slight (1.8 and 2.2%).