Research Article
The association between threatened miscarriage and development of gestational hypertension/pre-eclampsia
Authors:
S. M. S. G. Gunarathna ,
Castle Street Hospital for Women, Colombo, LK
N. Rathnayake,
Castle Street Hospital for Women, Colombo, LK
L. Pallemulla,
Castle Street Hospital for Women, Colombo, LK
D. P. Lanka Rasanjana,
Castle Street Hospital for Women, Colombo, LK
A. A. Nilanga Nishad
Center for Epidemiological and Clinical Research LK, LK
Abstract
Introduction: Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy are an important cause of maternal mortality in Sri Lanka. Gestational hypertension (GH)/Pre-eclampsia (PEC) and threatened miscarriage (TM) share common pathophysiological mechanisms. This study was conducted to determine the association between TM and development of GH/PEC.
Methodology: A case control study was conducted at Castle Street Hospital for Women, Sri Lanka from May 2014 to May 2015. Cases consisted of patients with GH/PEC and compared with age and parity matched controls. A systematic random sampling method was used. Similar number of cases and controls were compared while each group consisted of 245 subjects. Data was obtained from medical records. Patients aged 20-35 years were included and medical disorders other than GH/PEC were excluded.
Results: There were 245 subjects in each group of the study. Among the cases, 56% had GH and the rest had PEC. There were 25 patients had a history of TM in the study population. About 6.5% of cases had a history TM, while only 3.6% of controls had TM. There is also a significant risk of developing PEC in a patient who had a history of threatened miscarriage (OR 3.31, 95% CI 1.35-8.11). Moreover the patients who had a history of TM tend to develop GH or PEC early, within 20-32 weeks of gestation (OR 11.49, 95% CI 3.88-33.99). As we identified, 62% of patients who had TM developed GH/PEC early (from 20 to 32 weeks) but among the cases who had no history of TM, only 12% developed GH/PEC between 20 to 32 weeks of gestation (O.R. 20.7 (5.66 to 91.96). There is a significant risk of developing severe GH/PEC in the group of patients who had a history of TM (OR 8.59, 95% CI 2.87-25.66). Eighty one percent (81%) of the cases, who had a history of TM, developed severe and moderate GH/PEC rather than mild. But the majority (63%) of the cases, who had no history of TM, developed mild GH/PEC (O.R. 7.6 (2.00 to 42.55).
Conclusions: Shared pathophysiological mechanisms of GH/PEC and TM may explain the observed association between these obstetric complications. Early onset, severe GH/PEC in cases with TM suggests temporality and a biological gradient which favors causality.
How to Cite:
Gunarathna, S.M.S.G., Rathnayake, N., Pallemulla, L., Rasanjana, D.P.L. and Nishad, A.A.N., 2021. The association between threatened miscarriage and development of gestational hypertension/pre-eclampsia. Sri Lanka Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 43(3), pp.138–143. DOI: http://doi.org/10.4038/sljog.v43i3.7997
Published on
25 Nov 2021.
Peer Reviewed
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