Abstract
Objective
Stroke in women with pregnancies and postpartum periods has a higher level of vulnerability than in other people. The aim of this study is to provide information on the burden of stroke in pregnant women and after delivery, as well as discover the most risk factors for them causing the stroke and examine the types of stroke in Mogadishu, Somalia.
Methods
This is a retrospective study. The data was obtained from the health information system documented in the 3-year period between January 2020 and December 2022. All the women with pregnancy and seven weeks after delivery presenting with stroke clinical features in the emergency are included in this study. Patients who were admitted as neurology inpatients or ICUs were identified from the data by confirming the diagnosis with a first CT brain and an MRI brain with a venogram. The risk factor was taken from the doctors and progressive notes in the system. data was analyzed using the commonly used statistical package, SPSS version 26.0.
Results
This study included 102 pregnant and postpartum women who had acute strokes in an emergency department. 90 (88.2%) had a postpartum period, and 12 (11.8%) had a pregnancy. according to the age of the participants: 46 (45.1%) between 15 and 24 years, 32 (31.4%) between 25 and 34, and 24 (23.5%) between 15 and 24 years old. 70 (68.7%) had cerebral sinus vein thrombosis (CSVT), while 21 (20.5%) had ischemic stroke (SS), and 11 (10.8%) had hemorrhagic stroke (HS). There were no differences in the location of the infarction or hemorrhage site, and the documented clinical presentation of the stroke, but the CSVT presentation was different from the other strokes; most of them, 61.1 (88%) had a seizure with focal neurological deficit. 39 (38.2%) had superior sagittal sinus thrombosis, and 17 (16.7%) had transverse sinus thrombosis. For the risk factors of the stroke, 58 (56.9%) did not have any previous risk factors related to the stroke, 10 (9.8%) had a history of abortion, 10 (9.8%) had a history of preeclampsia and eclampsia, and 5 (4.9%) had a history of contraceptive use.
Conclusion
This study showed that the most common type of stroke in pregnant and postpartum women is cerebral sinus venous thrombosis, and the greatest risk factor is the same as pregnancy and postpartum with abortion, eclampsia, and preeclampsia. So, early recognition of these strokes in women during pregnancy and postpartum helps health professionals make early diagnoses with appropriate treatment.