Background: Preeclampsia is serious syndrome that can affect human pregnancy causing serious complications. Preeclampsia is pregnancy-specific syndrome of reduced organ perfusion secondary to vasospasm and endothelial activation.
Objective: To assess the comparative effects of three regimens for the administration of the magnesium sulfate when used for the care of women with severe preeclampsia to determine the minimal effective dose of magnesium sulfate in controlling cases with severe preeclampsia and prevention of eclampsia and to determine whether only loading dose of magnesium sulfate is effective in prevention of eclampsia or not.
Patients and Methods: 240 patients were recruited and divided into three groups. Each group contains 80 patients, the first group received only the loading dose of MgSO4 and the second group received loading dose plus 12 hours maintenance dose while the last group received the loading dose and the full maintenance dose of MgSo4 for 24 hours.
Results: Although strong evidence supports the use of magnesium sulfate for prevention and treatment of eclampsia, there was no significant difference between occurrence of eclampsia in the three groups after either administration of loading dose of MgSO4 only or administration of loading dose with maintenance dose for 12 hours or maintenance dose for 24 hours in the studied patients.
Conclusion: Magnesium sulfate proved to cause many hemodynamic changes as it has vasodilator effect on maternal and fetal blood vessels; however, magnesium sulfate should be given to all patients with severe preeclampsia.