Magnesium sulphate for eclampsia: putting the evidence into clinical practice

Eclampsia is the third commonest cause of maternal mortality after haemorrhage and infection. The morbidity and mortality in eclampsia is related to the number of convulsions. The control of convulsions is, therefore, important in reducing maternal morbidity and mortality. Teaching hospitals in Southern Africa contributed to the multicentre Collaborative Eclampsia Trial, which provided the overwhelming evidence for the superiority of magnesium sulphate as the drug of choice for eclampsia. While other parts of the world have put this evidence into practice, this trend has not yet become uniform in Africa. This paper seeks to encourage African governments, teaching hospitals, the pharmaceutical industry and the regional Cochrane Collaboration Centre in South Africa to co-operate in order to facilitate the practice of evidence-based medicine in this aspect of maternal health in the region.