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Ebola virus disease and pregnancy outcome: A review of the literature


Garba Iliyasu
Lamaran M Dattijo
Abdulrazaq G Habib

Abstract

Introduction: Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a disease of humans and other primates caused by Ebola viruses. The most widespread epidemic of EVD in history occurred recently in several West African countries. The burden and outcome of EVD in pregnant women remains uncertain. There are few reports to date on maternal and fetal outcomes among pregnant women with EVD, hence the justification for this comprehensive review of these published studies.
Materials and Methods: Published literature in Englishthat reported on maternal and or fetal outcome among pregnant women with EVD up to May 2016 were searched in electronic databases (Google Scholar, Medline, Embase, PubMed, AJOL, and Scopus). Studies that did not meet the inclusion criteria were excluded. We extracted the following variables from each study: Geographical location, year of the study, settings of the study, participants, maternal and fetal outcome.
Results: A total of 12 studies reported on 108 pregnant women and 110 fetal outcomes. Six of the studies were case reports, three retrospective studies, two cross‑sectional studies, and one was a technical report. There were 91 (84.3%) deaths out of the 108 pregnant women, while only one (0.9%) fetal survival was reported out of 110. The survival rate among the 15 patients that had spontaneous abortion/stillbirth or induced delivery was 100%.
Conclusion: There was a poor maternal and fetal outcome among pregnant women with EVD, and fetal evacuation significantly improves maternal survival.

Key words: Africa; Ebola; fetal; maternal; outcome.


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eISSN: 0189-5117