Prevalence of pre-eclampsia among pregnant women attending Antenatal care at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital. A cross-sectional study.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71020/z86mrx71Keywords:
Prevalence, Preeclampsia, Antenatal Care, Obstetric factors, Maternal socio-demographic factors, Hypertensive disorders of pregnancyAbstract
Background:
This study focused on determining the prevalence of pre-eclampsia among pregnant women at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital.
Methodology:
A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Antenatal Care Unit of Hoima Regional Referral Hospital among 41 pregnant women aged 15-49 years, selected by convenience sampling. Data were collected using an administered structured questionnaire and analyzed using Microsoft Excel, with results presented as frequencies, percentages, tables, and charts.
Findings:
The prevalence of pre-eclampsia is 14.6% (6 out of 41 participants). Most of the participants, 18 out of 41(43.9%), were in the 25-34-year age bracket; 36.6% were between 15-24 years. Women aged 35-44 years accounted for 6 participants (14.6%); 2 participants (4.9%) were in the 45-49 years age category, while 32 out of 41(78.0%) were married, and 9(22.0%) were either single or divorced. Grossly, 12 participants (29.3%) reported a health worker diagnosis of elevated blood pressure, 10(24.4%) had confirmed proteinuria, and 7(17.1%) had been hospitalized due to hypertension in the current pregnancy. Findings thus suggest that pre-eclampsia constitutes a significant burden among ANC attendees at this facility.
Conclusion:
Pre-eclampsia prevalence at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital exceeds both national and regional benchmarks and is driven by intersecting socio-demographic vulnerabilities and obstetric risk factors, demanding urgent programmatic response.
Recommendations:
The hospital should enforce universal blood pressure and urinalysis screening at every ANC contact and implement a formal pre-eclampsia risk stratification protocol at booking. Community-level education and early ANC promotion must be strengthened.
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