Pattern of Antepartum Haemorrhage at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

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The incidence of Antepartum Haemorrhage (APH) was 3.5%. Placenta praevia with an incidence of 2.0% constituted 58.4% of the cause of APH, followed by placental abruption with an incidence of 1.3% constituted 35.6% of the cause of APH. The most common presentation of APH was mild vaginal bleeding (22.3%), followed by combination of abdominal pains and vaginal bleeding (20.8%). APH accounted for 11.1% of maternal deaths and 19.2% of perinatal deaths in the study period. Early pregnancy bleeding (bleeding in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy) and pre-eclampsia/eclampsia were most commonly associated with placenta praevia and placental abruption respectively. It is to be noted that APH remains a dangerous complication of pregnancy with high maternal and perinatal morbidities and mortalities.

Keywords: Antepartum haemorrhage, placenta praevia, placental abruption: pattern and management