Clinical presentation of women readmitted with postpartum severe preeclampsia or eclampsia.
OBJECTIVE
To identify symptoms that prompted a group of women readmitted for postpartum severe preeclampsia or eclampsia to seek medical care.


METHODS
Retrospective, case-control.


METHODS
Tertiary-care teaching hospital.


METHODS
The study group consisted of 53 women readmitted in the postpartum period with severe preeclampsia or eclampsia. The control group was matched two-to-one with an index study participant and consisted of 106 women who had intrapartum severe preeclampsia or eclampsia.


METHODS
Patient symptoms, physical findings, laboratory assays.


RESULTS
Neurologic complaints, malaise, and nausea and vomiting were reported more often in women who were readmitted than in mothers with intrapartum preeclampsia (all p values less than .001). Headaches were positively correlated with systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial blood pressure in women who were readmitted (all p values less than .05), although there was no relationship between blood pressure and headaches in the control group. In addition, multivariate analysis revealed that study participants were more likely to deliver at full term, have headaches and malaise, have normal platelet values, and develop seizures than mothers in the control group, chi 2 = 155.7, p < .001.


CONCLUSIONS
Women readmitted for postpartum severe preeclampsia or eclampsia have a clinical presentation that differs from that of intrapartum preeclampsia or eclampsia.
Atterbury
J L
JL
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of South Alabama, Mobile 36617, USA.
Groome
L J
LJ
Hoff
C
C
Yarnell
J A
JA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010359:Patient Readmission; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood / Q000451:nursing* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies