Risk Factors of Preeclampsia among Pregnant Women Admitted at Rafidia Governmental Surgical Hospital in Palestine: a case-control study

Background: Preeclampsia (PE) is considered a major factor in both severe maternal morbidity and maternal mortality. The two main characteristics of preeclamptic patients are high blood pressure and high proteinuria. Therefore, this study aims to estimate the prevalence of PE among Palestinian pregnant.
Methods: A hospital-based case–control study was conducted. Medical records were reviewed for clinical and laboratory results. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed to compare cases and controls. Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test was used to compare between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis was computed to identify factors associated with preeclampsia.
Results: A total of 5462 deliveries were recorded, with 109 preeclamptic cases at a rate of 5%. The vast majority of both preeclamptic and the control groups had no previous abortion (69.4% and 85.9% respectively) and first-time pregnancy was higher among the preeclamptic group (38.8%) as compared to the control (15.3%). Maternal age of ≥ 34 years (AOR, 4.87, 95% CI, 1.92-12.37), Gestational age (AOR, 5.75, 95% CI, 2.01-16.45), abortion (AOR, 3.60, 95% CI, 1.51- 8.58), and first pregnancy (AOR, 3.59, 95% CI, 1.57-8.20) were significantly associated with PE. HELP syndrome (AOR, 7.94, 95% CI, 1.44-43.72), organ dysfunction (AOR, 9.02 95% CI, 2.25-36.24), low Hemoglobin (AOR, 1.65, 95% CI, 0.79-3.42), elevated aPTT (AOR, 5.05, 95% CI, 1.70-14.98) were considered risk factors of severe PE.
Conclusion: Our findings imply that early systematic evaluation of PE risk factors should be carried out, followed by ongoing vigilant observation of PE symptoms and indications.