title: Risk factors for severe preeclampsia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify risk factors associated with severe preeclampsia and to determine whether these factors are similar in nulliparous and multiparous patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients whose pregnancies were complicated by severe preeclampsia (n = 70) were compared retrospectively to 18,964 non-preeclamptic controls. Information on maternal demographic factors; medical, obstetric, and family histories; and neonatal outcome was retrieved and analyzed by univariate and multivariate analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  By logistic regression, the only risk factors associated with the development of severe preeclampsia were severe obesity in all patients (adjusted odds ratio 3.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.68-7.46) and a history of preeclampsia in multiparous patients (adjusted odds ratio 7.2, 95% CI 2.74-18.74).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Severe obesity and a history of preeclampsia are the only maternal risk factors identified for the development of severe preeclampsia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Stone
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Lockwood
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Berkowitz
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lapinski
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Berkowitz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010298:Parity; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index