DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2019.v07i04.059

Pages: 1667-1671

Objectives: To find the incidence and maternal and neonatal risk factors associated with severity of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in a referral hospital located in semi urbarn area of East India. Methods: We conducted an observational study of HIE in Burdwan Medical College Hospital, over a one-year-period, from April 2013 to March 2014. All the inborn term babies without major congenital anomaly that developed HIE were included in the study. A total of 40 cases were included in the study taken serially. Babies were categorised in three groups according to the Sarnat and Sarnat staging of HIE. Data was collected for possible risk factors. The incidence of risk factors in the 3 groups was analyzed and compared statistically. Results: The total number of live births in the study year was 21142. Out of this 361 newborns suffered from HIE. About 16.67% of these newborns expired during the study period. An overall incidence of hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) in Burdwan medical college and hospital was found to be 17.1 per 1000 live birth in the year of study. Among the various maternal factors studied amongst the selected 40 babies included in the study, low socioeconomic status according to Kuppuswamy scale seemed to influence the severity of HIE (P=0.033). Similarly antenatal monitoring of foetus by Ultrasonography was also inversely related to severity of HIE (p=0.031). Conclusion: The incidence of HIE and birth asphyxia reported in different studies varies widely. The incidence in our hospital is slightly higher than reported in many studies from developing countries. The important associated risk factors includes being in a low socioeconomic family, and lack of antenatal care specially antenatal ultrasound monitoring. Improvement in antenatal care and socioeconomic status can decrease the incidence of HIE.