OBJECTIVE:

To determine the prevalence of the different categories of pregnancy-induced hypertension that preceded eclampsia in patients with eclampsia in a Hospital in a southeastern México, from 2013 to 2017

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective study performed by reviewing and analyzing the records of patients with eclampsia attended at the Hospital de Alta Especialidad de Veracruz between 2013 and 2017. The category of pregnancy-induced hypertension prior to the diagnosis of eclampsia was identified and prevalence was estimated using absolute frequencies.

RESULTS:

Forty-four patients were studied, with mean age of 20.4 ± 5.1 years, 30 of them primigravida. Preeclampsia with severity criteria was documented in 23 cases, in 8 cases preeclampsia without severity criteria, in 7 cases HELLP syndrome, in 4 cases gestational hypertension. In addition, 2 cases had eclampsia without previous record of hypertension.

CONCLUSION:

Preeclampsia with severity criteria was the most prevalent category of pregnancy-induced hypertension prior to the diagnosis of eclampsia, however there were also cases of preeclampsia without severity criteria, gestational hypertension and even cases without hypertension prior to the convulsive event; so it should not be assumed that eclampsia evolves only from preeclampsia with severity criteria, in order to timely promote prevention, detection and management prior to the onset of seizures or other life-threatening maternal complications, and with this contribute to the reduction of global maternal mortality.