ABSTRACT
Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy are the most common medical problems in pregnancy. They are an important cause of morbidity and mortality, both to the mother and fetus, occurring in 12–22 percent of all pregnancies. The last Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths 1 showed that 22 women died of eclampsia or pre-eclampsia, giving a mortality rate of 0.83 per 100,000 maternities. This was the second most common cause of direct maternal death in this triennia. The UK Obstetric Surveillance System from 2005 and 2006 gives an estimated incidence of eclampsia of 27.5 cases per 100,000 maternities.
