The effect of preexisting medical comorbidities on the preeclamptic phenotype: a retrospective cohort study

ABSTRACT

Objective:To compare the effect of comorbidities on the phenotype and outcomes of preeclampsia.

Methods: A matched retrospective cohort study of women delivering at a tertiary maternity center following a diagnosis of preeclampsia. We collected data on signs and symptoms, biochemical markers, and maternal and perinatal outcomes.

Results:We studied 474 women; 158 women with and 316 without comorbidities. Compared to women without comorbidities, women with comorbidities delivered earlier. They suffered fewer maternal but more neonatal complications.

Conclusion: Women with comorbidities receive earlier intervention than women without comorbidities, which may lead to fewer maternal complications but worse neonatal outcomes.

KEYWORDS:

• Preeclampsia
• hypertension
• angiogenic
• complications
• comorbidities

Disclosure statement

BWM is supported by an Investigator Grant (GNT1176437) from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. BWM reports consulting for ObsEva and research funding from Guerbet, Ferring, and Merck. The study funders had no role in any element of the project. The other authors report no potential conflict of interest.

Data sharing

The data underlying this project are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Contribution to authorship

Conceptualisation: KRP, EMW. Methodology: MST, KRP, EMW. Data collection: MST, DDG, SR, MR. Statistical analysis: MST, DLR. Data interpretation: MST, DLR, KRP. Manuscript draft: MST. Manuscript review and editing: MST, DDG, MR, SR, DLR, FCS, BWM, EMW, KRP, MAD.

Ethics approval

This research was approved by the Monash Health human research and ethics committee (HREC no. 19,397).

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the Glyn White Research Fellowship and awarded to KRP. MST is supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) scholarship. EMW holds an NHMRC Program Grant (APP #1,113,902) This research was supported by ThermoFisher, through the provision of a B.R.A.H.M.S KRYPTOR immunoassay analyser and necessary reagents.