Intoxication with Magnesium Sulfate in the Treatment of Eclampsia A Propos of Three Cases and Review of the Literature

Abs tract- Hypertensive diseases of pregnancy are among the first causes of severe maternal morbidity and mortality especially in developing countries. In developed countries, eclampsia is a rare event, but remains responsible for a significant maternal mortality. For over a century, magnesium sulfate is widely used in the United States in many obstetric indications including the treatment of eclampsia crises. There appears to be no consensus to treat or prevent seizures by magnesium sulfate. However, a large, multicentre, randomized trial compared the efficacy of magnesium sulfate with diazepam or phenytoin in eclamptic women. In this trial, magnesium sulfate was associated with a significantly lower rate of recurrent seizures and lower rate of maternal death than that observed with other anticonvulsants. The main objective of magnesium sulfate prophylaxis in women with preeclampsia is to prevent or reduce the rate of eclampsia and complications associated with eclampsia.