Objective: To determine whether giving of magnesium sulfate to patients with mild preeclampsia is beneficial. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Tertiary-care training hospital. Participants: Patients admitted from January 2001-June 2005 with BP > 140/90 and with a +1 albuminuria by dipstick method. Patients were grouped into three arms: those who received complete magnesium sulfate doses (14 grams loading dose + 20 grams succeeding doses), those who received loading dose of magnesium sulfate only (14 grams), and those without treatment. Interventions: Review of charts. Main outcome measure: The primary outcome was the occurrence of eclampsia and magnesium toxicity. Results: There were 123 patients fiagnosed with mild preeclampsia from January 2001 to June 2005. Ninety four charts (76.42 percent) were retrieved and reviewed. Of the 94 reviewed, 21 (22 percent) did not receive magnesium sulfate, 23 (24 percent) received the loading dose of magnesium sulfate only, and 50 (53 percent) received the complete doses of magnesium sulfate. There were no statistically significant differences in the occurrence of eclampsia among the three groups, as well as the occurrence of magnesium toxicity among the treated groups; however, the numbers were small. Conclusion: All patients included in the study did not develop eclampsia, and those patients who received magnesium sulfate, whether loading dose only or complete doses, did not develop magnesium toxicity. (Author)
Magnesium Sulfate ; Preeclampsia ; Eclampsia ; Malbuminuria