Author(s)

Henri Essome^1,2, Jean Paul Engbang^1,2*, Gaëlla Ndedi Penda², Mve Koh Valere^3,4, Merlin Boten¹, Pascal Foumane^4,5, Dieudonné Adiogo²

¹Douala Laquintinie Hospital, Douala, Cameroon.
²Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon.
³Yaounde University Health Center, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
⁴Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
⁵Gynecological-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital of Yaoundé, Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Objective: To determine the prevalence, haematological repercussions and prognosis of childbirth in the event of consumption of kaolin during pregnancy. Materials and Methods: It was a study over a period of 3 months at the Laquintinie Hospital Douala. It compared two groups of women, one of whom had consumed kaolin during pregnancy (exposed group) and the other had not consumed it (non-exposed group). Results: A total of 342 women were included in our study, 121 (35.4%) of whom had consumed kaolin during pregnancy. Women exposed to this consumption (P < 0.05) after univariate analysis were those of pregnant women from the Far North (OR = 3.37, CI: 1.29 - 8.79, P = 0.013), single (OR = 1.65, CI = 1.05 - 2.59, P = 0.029), those with primary education (OR = 2.25, CI = 1.06 - 4.79, P = 0.035) and those with HIV (OR = 2.75, IC = 1.02-7.43, P = 0.045). Consumption was more frequent in the first trimester of pregnancy (37%) and in the third quarter (34%), at a predominantly weekly rate (47.9%). The most frequently cited reasons were envy (82%), and nausea (45%). This consumption was associated with a risk of premature delivery (RR = 2.26, IC = 1.27 - 4.05, P = 0.001), yellowish amniotic fluid (RR = 4.66, IC = 1.81 - 11, P = 0.001), birth weight < 2500 g in newborns (RR = 1.72, IC = 3.36 - 9.56, P = 0.025), but increased the probability of delivery (RR = 1.94, IC = 0.96 - 3.90, P = 0.039). For the hematological aspect, the occurrence of anemia (RR = 1.55, IC = 0.97 - 2.31, P = 0.003) and a decrease in mean hemoglobin concentration (RR = 1.29, IC = 0.83 - 2.03, P = 0.041) were associated with kaolin in pregnancy. After multivariate logistic regression, the complications included premature delivery, yellowish colour of the amniotic fluid and decreased hemoglobin. Conclusion: The use of kaolin is a frequent feeding behavior in pregnancy, mainly motivated by envy, which nevertheless presents serious maternal and fetal complications.

Kaolin, Pregnancy, Anemia, Prognosis, Childbirth, Douala

Essome, H. , Engbang, J. , Penda, G. , Valere, M. , Boten, M. , Foumane, P. and Adiogo, D. (2017) Kaolin Clay Consumption and Pregnancy: Prevalence, Hematological Consequences and Outcome of Labour in the Douala. Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 7, 1166-1173. doi: 10.4236/ojog.2017.712118.