title: A sister's risk: family history as a predictor of preeclampsia.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
authors.forename: Darcy B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Carr
authors.forename: Meira
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Epplein
authors.forename: Catherine O
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Thomas R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Easterling
authors.forename: Cathy W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Critchlow
mesh_terms: 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