OBJECTIVE:

To identify the causes of nonimmune fetal hydrops fetalis in an obstetric referral hospital in Western Mexico.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Case series study, with non-probabilistic sampling by convenience, carried out from October 2014 to September 2015 which included patients (between 15 and 38 weeks of pregnancy), of legal age (in cases of minors, informed consent was requested from parents or guardians), with a diagnosis of fetal hydrops fetalis by obstetric ultrasound. For statistical analysis, an Excel database was generated and descriptive statistics were applied.

RESULTS:

Thirty-three pregnant women were included, in whom non-immune fetal hydrops fetalis was the most frequent (94%) and idiopathic was the most common cause (n = 10), followed by inborn errors of metabolism, chromosomal and cardiac alterations (n = 6 each). This was followed by hematologic (n = 4), lymphatic and syndromic causes (n = 3 each), and infectious and tumor causes (n = 1 each). In this study, inborn errors of metabolism (specifically Sly syndrome) had a higher frequency than that reported in the literature.

CONCLUSIONS:

Inborn errors of metabolism, chromosomal and cardiac abnormalities were the second most frequent cause of nonimmune fetal hydrops. It is suggested that metabolic causes be taken into account in the diagnostic approach to fetal hydrops, especially for the establishment of early treatment.