Study on the major maternal risk factors in hypertensive syndromes.

BACKGROUND There are several risk factors for hypertensive syndromes in pregnancy (HSP), and these can be related to regional and ethnic factors. Studies on this issue are scarce in the State of Goiás. OBJECTIVE To investigate maternal risk factors for HSP. METHODS Case-control study based on the analysis of medical records of parturients from the Maternity Service of Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade Federal de Goiás (HC-UFG) in 2005. Risk factors were analyzed using Logistic Regression Analysis and Fisher's Exact Test. RESULTS In 2005, there were 890 deliveries in the Maternity Service of HC-UFG, and 129 pregnant women were diagnosed with HSP (14.5%). The multivariate analysis identified obesity as a risk factor both for gestational hypertension--GH (OR: 17.636; 95% CI: 2.859 to 108.774) and for preeclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension--PESCH (OR: 27.307; 95% CI: 4.453 to 167.440). Primiparity was a risk factor for GH (OR: 5.435; 95% CI: 1.923 to 15.385). Age above 30 years was a risk factor for PESCH (OR: 5.218; 95% CI: 1.873 to 14.536) and a protective factor against preeclampsia--PE (OR: 0.035; 95% CI: 0.003 to 0.364). Non-white race was an independent risk for PE (OR: 13.158; 95% CI: 1.672 to 100.000) and previous PE for PESCH (OR: 4.757; 95% CI: 1.261 to 17.938). Of the pregnant women with chronic hypertension (CH), 73.5% developed PESCH (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION The factors identified--obesity, non-white race, previous PE, age above 30 years and CH, were similar to those found in the majority of studies in the literature.