Title: Incidence and risk factors for preeclampsia in a cohort
of high-risk pregnant women: a nested case-control study from South
India
Objective : To explore the incidence and risk factors of
preeclampsia (PE) among high- risk pregnant women in South India.
Design : Nested case- control study
Setting: Tertiary referral hospital
Population or Sample : Pregnant women with risk for PE.
Methods : Maternal characteristics were prospectively collected,
and risk factors were assessed comparatively between women with risk for
developing PE and normotensive pregnant women using risk ratio (RR)
(95% CI) plus multivariate analysis. One hundred and seventy-four risk
group pregnant women were followed-up once in each trimester till
delivery and noted for the development of PE.
Main Outcome Measures : Incidence and risk factors of PE among
high-risk pregnant women.
Results: 67/174 women developed PE, corresponding to an
incidence of 38.51% among pregnant women with risk for PE. Women in the
age group of 30 and older reported a higher incidence. Maternal factors
like absence of family history of chronic hypertension, history of
abortion, non-consanguineous marriage, and AB blood group were
significant protective factor and sex of the new-born being female was a
significant risk factor for developing PE.
Conclusion : This is the first Indian study that explored the
incidence and risk factors for PE among high-risk pregnant women.
Incidence of PE was higher among South Indian risk population. Female
infants significantly contributed to the PE risk.
Funding: JIPMER Intramural Research fund.
Keywords: Preeclampsia; Incidence; South India; High-risk
women; Follow-up; Risk factors
Tweetable Abstract: The incidence of PE is 38.51% and the
significant risk factor is female foetus among high-risk pregnant women.