OBSTETRIC FISTULA: RISK FACTORS AND SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS AMONG PATIENT ADMITTED IN AL-SADAQA TEACHING HOSPITAL, ADEN, REPUBLIC OF YEMEN (1\(^{st}\) JAN 2014 - 31\(^{st}\) DEC 2019)

Abstract

Obstetric fistula is one of the major obstetric problem that results from prolonged obstructed labor. This condition mainly effect on women in the underdeveloped and developing nations of the world specially in Africa and Asia and Yemen one of them. Each year, an estimate of 50, 000-100, 000 women develop obstetric fistula worldwide. It occurs in areas where access to care at childbirth is limited or poor quality care during intrapartum period. to study the risk factors (social, demographic and obstetric) of Obstetric Fistula among Al-Sadaqa Teaching Hospital patients, Aden- Yemen. A hospital based cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out for 51 medical files of obstetric fistula patients admitted to fistula unit in Al-Sadaqa Teaching hospital in Aden city during the study period from 1st Jan 2014 to 31st Dec 2019.Using available data technique and questionnaire were used to collect the study data from medical files available in the hospital . This data were analyzed by SPSS software (version22). Most of obstetric fistula patients were from rural areas (60.8%), in the age group 20-34years (56.9%). Early age of marriage of age group 15-20 years (80.4%), illiterate (47.1%) and still married despite having obstetric fistula (92.2%)with non-used ANC in the causative pregnancy (41.2%) and have history of previous one and more caesarian section (19.6%, 11.8% respectively) .Most of participants delivered vaginally (54.9%) by midwives (72.5%) where prolonged obstructed labor was the most cause (49%) and most common type is rectovaginal fistula (41.2%) and the majority of fistula repair was through transvaginal (68.6%). The risk factors of obstetric fistula are early age of marriage, illiteracy, and lack of antenatal care, while obstructed prolonged labor was most common cause. Rectovaginal fistula is the commonest type. The study findings clear that obstetric fistula is important obstetric problem faced community and increasing maternal morbidity, significance of both treatment and prevention activities needed, also interventions that focus on improving access to maternal health care, emergency obstetric care, and increase rate of caesarean section when indicated.