Purpose: Preeclampsia is a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. Yet, there is no consensus regarding the incidence among ethnic minorities. Incidence of preelcampsia among African-American and Hispanic populations in a large Detroit Health System was identified and verified based on the diagnostic criteria by the ACOG. Subjects: A total of 2,747 African American and Hispanic women who gave birth at Henry Ford Hospital (HFH) and a sample of 134 women from the same ethnic groups who used HFH-affiliated outpatient prenatal clinics in 1998. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. All labor and delivery records from the HFH system in 1998 were reviewed for the incidence of preeclampsia. The diagnostic criteria (hypertension twice at least 6 hours apart and concurrent proteinuria after 20 weeks gestation) were then verified by reviewing 710 prenatal records from two outpatient clinics (576 at HFH Prenatal Clinic and 134 at HFH-affiliated Community Health & Social Services Center). The results were tested by ANOVA for the continuous variables or by Chi-square (p < /=.05). Results: The incidences of preelcampsia, according to the labor and delivery records, was 5.5% for African Americans, 1.3% for Hispanics, and 4% for Caucasian (X2=14.19; p < .05). When basing incidence on diagnostic criteria found in the prenatal records, the incidence was 4.5% for African Americans (26/576) and 1.5% for Hispanic (2/134). Identified risk factors for African Americans included high blood pressure (p=.05), history of chronic hypertension (p=.05), and older age (> 35) (p=.03), based on ANOVA. Risk factors identified for Hispanic women were nulliparity, family history of hypertension and BMI > 23.6. Conclusion: Compared to African Americans, Hispanics had a significantly lower incidence of preeclampsia. Also modifiable risk factors for Hispanic and African-American women in Detroit were provided.
Session #1203 - Health Disparities
The 29th Annual MNRS Research Conference (April 1-4, 2005)