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Pre-eclampsia rates on the rise in US

Date:
November 21, 2013
Source:
Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health
Summary:
A latest study by researchers reports that rates for pre-eclampsia, characterized by an elevation in the blood pressure and excess protein in the urine of pregnant women, rose from 3.4 percent in 1980 to 3.8 percent in 2010. This increase was due to the rise in rates of severe pre-eclampsia -- from 0.3 percent in 1980 to 1.4 percent in 2010, a relative increase of 322 percent.
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A latest study by researchers at the Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia University Medical Center reports that pre-eclampsia, characterized by an elevation in the blood pressure and excess protein in the urine of pregnant women, has a 1.5-fold to 2-fold higher incidence in first pregnancies. The condition, which causes complications in approximately 3-6% of all pregnancies, is also associated with high risks of preterm delivery, intrauterine growth restriction, placental abruption, and perinatal mortality. Findings are published online in the British Medical Journal.

The study by Drs. Cande Ananth, Katherine Keyes, and Ronald Wapner in the Departments of Epidemiology and Obstetrics and Gynecology, examined data on 120 million births in the United States between 1980 and 2010 from national hospital discharge surveys. This is the largest cohort study to analyze changes in rates of pre-eclampsia in the U.S.

According to findings, pre-eclampsia rates rose from 3.4% in 1980 to 3.8% in 2010. This increase was due to the rise in rates of severe pre-eclampsia -- from 0.3% in 1980 to 1.4% in 2010, a relative increase of 322%. At the same time, rates of mild pre-eclampsia declined, from 3.1% in 1980 to 2.5% in 2010. Women born in the mid-1970s were at increased risk for mild pre-eclampsia, whereas women born in the more recent periods showed an increased risk of severe pre-eclampsia, suggesting a birth cohort effect. The researchers note that the increasing obesity and decreasing smoking rates in the United States across the last three decades explain, at least in part, the trends in the observed pre-eclampsia rates.

Particularly noteworthy is the fact that the researchers analyzed data collected across 30 years to understand the association of maternal age with time of disease occurrence and mother's date of birth on rates of pre-eclampsia. Results suggest that reducing obesity rates could also be favorable to a reduction in pre-eclampsia rates.


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Materials provided by Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. C. V. Ananth, K. M. Keyes, R. J. Wapner. Pre-eclampsia rates in the United States, 1980-2010: age-period-cohort analysis. BMJ, 2013; 347 (nov07 15): f6564 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.f6564

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Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. "Pre-eclampsia rates on the rise in US." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 21 November 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131121135625.htm>.
Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. (2013, November 21). Pre-eclampsia rates on the rise in US. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 18, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131121135625.htm
Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. "Pre-eclampsia rates on the rise in US." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131121135625.htm (accessed March 18, 2024).

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