Background: Morbid obesity of parturient has become very important in
perinatal medicine because of a worldwide obesity epidemic. Morbid
obesity of parturient is reportedly associated with severely increased
anaesthetic and obstetric risk. Objective: To determine the
prevalence rate, anaesthetic and obstetric complications in morbidly
obese parturient that had caesarean delivery in a Nigerian tertiary
care centre. Methods: The obstetric theatre records and case files
were reviewed for caesarean deliveries in the University of Nigeria
Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria from May 2008 to December 2010. A
sample size of 250 patients, calculated based on a prevalence rate of
19%, confidence interval of 95% , a power of 80% and a finite
population of zero was used to determine the prevalence rate of morbid
obesity (Body Mass Index of greater than or equal to 35kg/m2).
Results: There were thirty-one patients with morbid obesity (12.4%).
The average Body Mass Index (BMI) was 38.3kg/m2 (SD ± 2.99). Other
findings included macrosomia (7 or 25.8%), gestational diabetes (13%)
and pregnancy induced hypertension (7 or 22.5%).There were two neonatal
deaths but no maternal deaths. Conclusion: The prevalence rate of
morbid obesity is about 10% in Nigerian women of child bearing age.
This mirrors a World Health Organisation report published in the World
Health Organisation Global Information Base