Recurrent versus isolated pre-eclampsia and risk of feto-infant morbidity outcomes: racial/ethnic disparity

ObjectiveWe examined the association between recurrent versus isolated pre-eclampsia and feto-infant morbidity outcomes.Study designThis is a population-based retrospective study on Florida hospital discharge data linked to the birth cohort files from 1998 through 2007. The study population comprised women with singleton first and second births who experienced pre-eclampsia in both pregnancies, and a comparison group consisting of women who were normotensive during their first pregnancy but developed pre-eclampsia in their second pregnancy. Feto-infant morbidities (low birth weight, very low birth weight, preterm, very preterm and small for gestational age) were the outcome of interest. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between recurrent pre-eclampsia and feto-infant morbidity outcomes were obtained from logistic regression models.ResultWomen who experienced recurrent pre-eclampsia were at elevated risk for low birth weight, very low birth weight, preterm and very preterm. The risk was most pronounced for preterm infants (OR = 1.58 CL = 1.42–1.76). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that infants born to black mothers with recurrent pre-eclampsia experienced the most elevated risk across all the racial/ethnic subgroups and this was most pronounced for very low birth weight and very preterm with a more than three-fold increase in risk (OR = 3.77, 95% CI = 2.77–5.13 and OR = 3.66, 95% CI = 2.66–5.03, respectively) as compared to the referent category (white mothers who were normotensive in first pregnancy but developed pre-eclampsia in their second pregnancy).ConclusionPre-eclampsia is very severe when it recurs and black women are affected more than white or Hispanic women.