Predicting eclampsia, perinatal mortality and low birthweight using antenatal measures of blood pressure, proteinuria and oedema

ABSTRACT

Data on over 10,000 pregnant women from the Jamaican Perinatal Survey have been used to determine the combinations of blood pressures, proteinuria or oedema that are best at predicting poor pregnancy outcome (eclampsia, perinatal mortality, low birthweight and fetal growth retardation). The combination that best predicted eclampsia (any two signs of a diastolic >80, proteinuria or oedema) was very different from that which best predicted the other outcomes (a systolic >140 or a diastolic >90). Proteinuric pre-eclampsia (PPE) was a relatively poor predictor of all four outcomes.