BMJ 1995;311:702-703 (16 September)

Editorials

Magnesium sulphate: the drug of choice in eclampsia

Definitive trial signals triumph for researchers in the developing world

Until this year, the pharmacological treatment of eclampsia has been determined largely by geography, habit, and prejudice. Magnesium sulphate has been the drug of choice in the United States; in Britain, diazepam and, more recently, phenytoin have been favoured.1 None of these choices was influenced by strong scientific evidence.

A network of researchers has recently reported the first large randomised trial comparing these three drugs in eclampsia.2 The collaborative eclampsia trial is the most important obstetric trial of the 20th century, and it has set new standards for vision and ambition in clinical trials in perinatal medicine. It included no fewer than 1680 eclamptic women recruited by local clinicians in west and southern Africa, South America, and India; and the trial was coordinated mainly by the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit in Oxford. Data were obtained from more than 99.5% of . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

Prefer diazepam for initial control of pre-eclampsic fits
Robert Fox and Tim Draycott
BMJ 1995 311: 1433. [Extract] [Full Text]

This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Fox, R., Draycott, T. (1995). Prefer diazepam for initial control of pre-eclampsic fits. BMJ 311: 1433-1433 [Full text]  
  • Steer, P. (1995). Recent Advances: Obstetrics. BMJ 311: 1209-1212 [Full text]  
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