Razi Journal of Medical Sciences

  Background & Aim: Preeclampsia is one of the important complications of pregnancy and knowing its risk factors can help us to understant it better. The aim of the present study is to evaluate some of th risk factors for preeclampsia.

  Patients and Methods: This retrospective case-control study covered 636 preeclamptic women. 318 preeclamptic women constituted the case group and the other 318 preeclamptic women who were normotensive at the time of delivery were considered as the control group. The following factors were evaluated and compared between the two groups: maternal age, gestational age, nuliparity, occupation, educational status of mother, maternal BMI(Body Mass Index), maternal hemoglobin, blood group and Rh, family history of preeclampsia, history of preeclampsia in the previous pregnancy, being relative to spouse, urinary tract infection(UTI) during the present pregnancy, season in which preeclampsia occurs, neonatal sex, and the method of contraception. The obtained results were analyzed using statistical tests such as Chi-square and Mann-Whitney.

  Results: UTI(P=0.027, phi=0.031), history of preeclampsia during the previous pregnancy(P=0.000, phi=0.144), nuliparity(P=0.008, phi=0.108), blood group of A⁺(P=0.000, phi=0.129), and low educational status of mother(P=0.009, phi=0.007) were significantly more common in the case group. Maternal hemoglobin was also higher in the case group(12.23 ± 1.41gr/dl vs 11.9 ± 1.46gr/dl P=0.014, phi=0.042). The rate of cesarean section was higher in the case group than in the control group[245 cases(77%)vs 85 cases(26.7%), P=0.000]. The Apgar score of less than 8 in the first minute of birth was more commonly seen in the case group(28.6%vs 47.4%, P=0.000). Gestational age at the time of delivery was lower in the case group(36.48 ± 3.4 weeksvs 37.12 ± 3.3 weeks, P=0.000).