A sister's risk: family history as a predictor of preeclampsia.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to determine if women with preeclampsia are more likely to have a sister who also had preeclampsia.


METHODS
This was a population-based case-control study using data from Washington (WA) state birth certificates linked to hospital discharge records. Cases were women with gestational hypertension (n = 1611) or preeclampsia (n = 1071); controls (n = 8041) had normotensive pregnancies. All women delivered their first child between 1987 to 2002 and had a sister with a previous delivery in WA.


RESULTS
Women with preeclampsia were 2.3 times (95%CI 1.8-2.9) more likely to have a sister who had preeclampsia; those with gestational hypertension were 1.6 times (95%CI 1.3-2.0) more likely to have a sister with gestational hypertension. Similar results were obtained following stratification by age, race, smoking status, or body mass index.


CONCLUSIONS
The greater likelihood of preeclampsia among sisters of women with a previous preeclamptic pregnancy is consistent with a pathophysiologic role for genetic and/or behavioral factors that cluster in families.
Carr
Darcy B
DB
Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
Epplein
Meira
M
Johnson
Catherine O
CO
Easterling
Thomas R
TR
Critchlow
Cathy W
CW
D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D046110:Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D035781:Siblings; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D014861:Washington / Q000453:epidemiology