Who is affected by preeclampsia and high blood pressure during pregnancy

High blood pressure develops in about 10% of all pregnancies in the United States.¹

Preeclampsia occurs in about 5% of all pregnancies.² In some populations and environments, higher rates have been reported. Preeclampsia most often affects women who:

• Are pregnant for the first time or have not been pregnant for 10 or more years.³
• Have a family history of preeclampsia.
• Are younger than 21 or older than 35.
• Are more than 20% over their ideal body weight. If your weight is within this range, the higher your prepregnancy body mass index, the greater your preeclampsia risk.⁴
• Do not see their doctors for prenatal checkups regularly.

Less than 1% of women with preeclampsia develop seizures (eclampsia).⁵

Citations

1. Duley L (2005). Pre-eclampsia and hypertension, search date November 2004. Online version of Clinical Evidence (14): 1776-1790.

2. Cunningham FG, et al. (2005). Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. In Williams Obstetrics, 22nd ed., pp. 761-808. New York: McGraw-Hill.

3. Skjaerven R, et al. (2002). The interval between pregnancies and the risk of preeclampsia. New England Journal of Medicine, 346(1): 33-38.

4. O'Brien TE, et al. (2003). Maternal body mass index and the risk of preeclampsia: A systematic overview. Epidemiology, 14(3): 368-374.

5. Habli M, Sibai BM (2008). Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. In RS Gibbs et al., eds., Danforth's Obstetrics and Gynecology, 10th ed., pp. 257-275. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.