Body mass index and preeclampsia in pregnant women treated in a public hospital in Lima

Abstract

Introduction: Obesity is considered a major epidemic in developed countries, but is now spreading to developing countries. Furthermore, pregnant women with obesity have a higher risk of preeclampsia, which contributes significantly to maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between body mass index and preeclampsia in pregnant women treated at the Sergio E. Bernales national hospital, Lima 2021.

Methodology: An unpaired case-control study was carried out. The sample consisted of 219 pregnant women of all ages distributed into a case group (115 pregnant women with preeclampsia) and an unmatched control group (104 pregnant women without preeclampsia). Probabilistic sampling was random in both groups. Through the clinical history, information on the medical diagnosis, body mass index and other sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics of the pregnant women was obtained. A bivariate statistical analysis was performed with the Chi-Square test.

Results: body mass index is significantly related to preeclampsia (p: 0.004), where 64.13% of pregnant women with obesity present preeclampsia. Likewise, the history of preeclampsia was significant (p: 0.012).

Conclusions: body mass index and history of preeclampsia are related to preeclampsia. Furthermore, there is a large percentage of pregnant women with obesity and a history of preeclampsia who present this complication. It is recommended that healthcare professionals and other stakeholders consider these findings in their early detection activities to avoid preventable complications.