[Assessing severe maternal XXXX and its consequences: the value of a simple examination of the coloration of palpebral conjunctiva].

@entity1 @entity417 @entity326 @entity1457 @entity2099 @entity204 @entity68
The aims of this study were: (1) to investigate the relationship between pre-delivery hemoglobin (Hb) concentration and the outcome of the pregnancy for the mother and @entity1 and (2) to assess the extent to which the pallor of the conjunctiva indicates severe @entity417 in pregnancy (Hb < 7 g/dl). We carried out a prospective study in 1995, in the maternity department of the National Sour   Sanou Hospital (Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso). @entity1 arriving to give birth at the maternity unit gave verbal consent and underwent a physical examination including the assessment of conjunctiva coloration. Finger-prick blood samples were taken from all the @entity1 selected and Hb was determined with a portable hemoglobin meter (HemoCue AB, Sweden). For each @entity1 , information about age, obstetric history, the condition of mother and @entity1 at admission and delivery and any post-delivery complications in the first 48 hours was collected before discharge from the maternity unit, 3 to 5 days after the delivery. @entity1 with @entity2099 were excluded from the study and 247 @entity1 were included overall. Endometriosis was observed in only three cases. Three @entity1 died, two due to @entity326 . The third @entity1 died from @entity1457 . The Hb concentrations of these @entity1 were 8 g/dl, 10.2 g/dl and 2.6 g/dl respectively. The mean Hb concentration for our population was 10.1 g/dl (SD = 2.08), with 165 @entity1 (67%) having less than 11 g Hb/dl. Forty-one @entity1 (17%) had less than 9 g Hb/dl and 16 (6%) had less than 7 g Hb/dl. Severe maternal @entity417 and pallor of the conjunctiva were significantly associated with pre-term delivery and perinatal @entity204 , but not with low birth weight. The sensitivity of the pallor of the conjunctiva for detection of severe maternal @entity417 was 87%, and its specificity was 88%. We found no evidence that maternal Hb levels of 9 to 10.9 g/dl were associated with a high risk of poor pregnancy outcome for either the mother or the @entity1 , although @entity1 with such levels of Hb are classed as anemic by the World Health Organization criteria. These results show that poor pregnancy outcome is associated with severe maternal @entity417 . Examination of the coloration of the conjunctiva is a suitable and affordable screening method for the detection of severe @entity417 . Mothers with severe @entity417 present with signs and symptoms of @entity417 and could therefore be given @entity68 treatment to improve their health. This demonstrates the importance of nutritional intervention during pregnancy.
