[Epidemiological aspects of acute pelvic pain of gynecologic origin at the maternity of the Befelatanana Hospital Center, Antananarivo].

Acute pelvic pains of pregnancy (APPP) generate a lot of social and professional problems to pregnancy. A retrospective study was carried out in 1996 at the Maternity Hospital of Befelatanana, Antananarivo in order to specify epidemiological feature of APPP suffering pregnancy and to search favourising factors and determinative causes of this disease so that a strategy will be drawn up to reduce its frequency and to organize correct cares. 1,612 APPP were registered for the study period, i.e. an annual incidence of 15.5 per cent. Non periodic APPP were the most frequent clinical forms (99.6 per cent). The average age of pregnancy was 26 years old. Risk factors and determinative causes are infections, hormonal diseases, nulliparity and primiparity, low standard of living. APPP had been associated to hemorrhages (37.4 per cent), circulatory shock (14.5 per cent), and hyperthermia (63.5 per cent). 83 deaths were noted. Deaths are provoked by abortion infectious complications, hemorrhages, hepato-nephric lesions due to abortifacient plants. The authors conclude that prevent measures remain as the best therapy. They are based on Information-Education-Communication program drawn towards sexual education, Reproduction Health and improvement of genital infections cares.