Pregnancy Outcomes of Internally Displaced Women at a Tertiary Hospital in North-Central Nigeria: A Five-Year Review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are a vulnerable population with increased risks of malnutrition, anaemia, infectious diseases, limited access to healthcare, and adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes due to displacement and poor living conditions. AIM: This study aimed to review the pregnancy outcomes of internally displaced women who delivered at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), North-central Nigeria. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A 5-year retrospective, descriptive study was conducted involving 359 internally displaced women who delivered at BSUTH. Data on maternal sociodemographics, obstetric history, and maternal and foetal outcomes were collected. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data, with categorical variables presented as frequencies and percentages and continuous variables as means and standard deviations. RESULTS: Anaemia (33.7%) was the most common maternal comorbidity among the study population. A large proportion (86.4%) of women were unbooked for antenatal care (ANC). Vaginal delivery was the mode of delivery in 49.6% of the cases, while caesarean section accounted for 46.5%. Postpartum complications affected 9.7% of the women, with postpartum haemorrhage being the most frequent (51.4%). There were two maternal deaths (0.6%). Regarding foetal outcomes, preterm delivery occurred in 29.8% of cases, while 74.7% had live births and 24.3% stillbirths; additionally, 29.4% of neonates had low birth weight, and 24.0% developed neonatal complications, most commonly respiratory distress (11.0%). CONCLUSION: Pregnancy outcomes among internally displaced women remain unacceptably poor, as reflected by the high rates of caesarean delivery, preterm birth, stillbirth, and postpartum complications. Targeted efforts are urgently required to improve access to timely, comprehensive ANC and responsive emergency obstetric services for displaced women, particularly within resource-constrained and humanitarian settings.