REMOTE PROGNOSIS OF PREECLAMPSIA IN WOMEN 25 YEARS OLD AND YOUNGER

Twenty-six primiparous women .ltoreq.25 years old who delivered 1963 and 1978 and met the following criteria were studied: (1) The first obstetric visit was at .ltoreq.30 weeks'' gestation with diastolic blood pressure .ltoreq.85 mm Hg; (2) diastolic blood pressure before delivery was .gtoreq.95 mm Hg, rising at least 15 mm Hg; (3)-hour urine protein measured at least 1.0 gm; and (4) patients were enrolled in the Kaiser Health Plan in 1982. Each of the 26 patients was paired with a primiparous woman by year delivered, age, race (black versus nonblack), and weight .+-. 1/3. In 23 pairs blood pressure follow-up was available in 1980 or thereafter, which was at least 3 1/2 years after delivery (average interval between delivery and follow-up = 10 years). Three in the preeclampsia group and two in the matched control group had hypertension, with diastolic blood pressure .gtoreq.90 mm Hg. Mean systolic blood pressure (123.7 mm Hg) was 9.3 mm Hg higher in the preeclampsia group than in the matched controls (114.4 mm Hg), with a standard error of 4.15 of mm Hg (p = 0.04). Mean diastolic blood pressure (77.0 mm Hg) was 2.9 higher in the preeclampsia group than in the controls (74.1 mm Hg), with a standard error of 3.0 mm Hg (p = 0.345). We conclude that no significant difference in frequency of hypertension or diastolic blood pressure and a small significant difference in systolic blood pressure is shown in follow-up between patients with preeclampsia and matched controls.