Abortion prohibition and acute renal failure: the tragic Romanian experience

During the period 1966-1989, pregnancy interruption was severely punished in Romania. However, natality rose only temporarily, while illegal abortions reached at least 3.36%/year and became the main etiology of ARF. From the 653 patients hemodialyzed for ARF during 1979-1989 in Cluj, 131 (20.07%) had abortions; during 1990-1993 only 3 (1.52%) had this diagnosis. Of the women with postabortion ARF, 71.64% were oligoanuric. The average duration of oligoanuria was 18.9 days, the longest reversible oligoanuria 89 days, the mean schedule of dialysis 1/2.98 days. Hysterectomy was performed in 44.3%; chronic renal failure occurred in 8.21% of the patients. Mortality rate averaged 14.92%, being greater in hysterectomized women (18.64%) and in those with a BUN over 150 mg% at admission. The survivors had to face the menace of imprisonment and the interrogation of prosecutors already in the hospital, regardless of their health problems.