Prevalence, Risk Factors and Outcome of Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes at the Bamenda Regional Hospital

Background: Preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) is one of the most common\r\ncomplications of pregnancy. It is one of the leading identifiable cause of\r\npreterm deliveries, and an important cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity\r\nand mortality. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of\r\nPPROM, to identify its associated factors and to evaluate the early outcome (within 72 hrs after delivery)\r\nfollowing PPROM at the Bamenda\r\nRegional Hospital (BRH). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in March and April 2020. Three hundred and eighty-seven women who\r\ndelivered at the labour room of the BRH were included in this study.\r\nInterviewer-administered questionnaires were used to obtain data. The cases of\r\nPPROM were women who had lost amniotic fluid continuously before\r\nhospitalisation and whose gestational age was between 28 weeks + 0 days and 36\r\nweeks + 6 days. Descriptive statistics followed by logistic regression analyses were conducted with level of significance\r\nset at p-value Results: Among the 387 participants included in the study, 19 had\r\nPPROM giving a prevalence of 4.91%. Of 57 preterm deliveries, PPROM\r\naccounted for 33.33% (n = 19). The\r\nstatistically significant independent factors associated with lower odds\r\nof PPROM were the age groups 20 - 29 years (aOR = 0.07, 95%\r\nCI: 0.01 - 0.42, p = 0.003) and ≥30\r\nyears (aOR = 0.01, 95% CI: 0.001 - 0.14, p =\r\n0.001), and attending ANC ≥ 4 times (aOR = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.06 - 0.84, p = 0.026). Whereas, having a multiple\r\npregnancy (aOR = 39.72, 95% CI: 7.19 - 219.33, p\r\n - 897.90, p - 112.56, p = 0.003), and having a history of preterm\r\ndelivery (aOR = 27.65, 95% CI: 1.76 - 434.15, p\r\n= 0.018) were associated with a higher\r\nlikelihood of PPROM. The study revealed that 10.53% (n = 2) of women who\r\nhad PPROM had an unfavourable outcome. Babies born by mothers who had PPROM\r\nwere more likely to have an unfavourable outcome (OR = 14.44, 95% CI: 5.42 - 38.48, p Conclusion: Preterm\r\npremature rupture of membranes considerably causes perinatal morbidity and\r\nmortality, and thus optimum obstetric and medical care is essential for the\r\nreduction of the complications related to it.