Serious preeclampsia among different immigrant groups.

OBJECTIVE: Research conducted outside Canada suggests that preeclampsia (PET) may be more common among certain ethnic groups. A limitation to prior studies is that they did not distinguish between immigrant and non-immigrant women; they also included women with mild PET arising near term, the clinical importance of which is debatable. We created the term "serious PET" to describe a diagnosis of severe PET, eclampsia, or any degree of PET with concomitant preterm delivery, fetal death, or maternal hospitalization of seven days or more, and evaluated its risk in association with world region of origin among recent immigrants to Ontario. METHODS: Using the federal Landed Immigrant Data System database (LIDS), we completed a population-based study of 118 849 women who immigrated to Ontario between 1985 and 2000. The LIDS was linked to the Canadian Institute for Health Information's Discharge Abstracts Database, thereby capturing all hospitalizations with subsequent delivery in Ontario between April 1, 2002, and March 31, 2009. Rates for serious PET were determined according to maternal world region of birth, and odds ratios were adjusted for maternal age, number of live births, multifetal pregnancy, diabetes mellitus status, level of formal education, place of residence, neighbourhood income quintile, duration of residence in Canada, and fiscal year of delivery. RESULTS: Immigrant women from the Caribbean (6.8 per 1000; OR 3.34; 95% CI 2.25 to 4.96), Sub-Saharan Africa (6.8 per 1000; OR 3.14; 95% CI 2.04 to 4.83) and Hispanic America (5.9 per 1000; OR 3.11; 95% CI 1.97 to 4.88) were at highest risk of serious PET relative to immigrant women from industrialized nations. The ORs were either unchanged or higher when restricted to women without a prior live birth. CONCLUSION: We identified immigrant groups at higher risk of serious PET, whose consequences would presumably include greater financial costs for hospital care and a negative impact on maternal and newborn well-being.

Effect of mild hepatic or renal impairment on maternal serum screening biochemical measures.

BACKGROUND: Integrated maternal serum screening (MSS) is commonly used to screen for fetal trisomies and neural tube defects in early pregnancy. The kidney and liver each play an important role in hormone metabolism, and anecdotal data suggest that MSS biochemical measures may vary with a mother's health status. We examined the correlations between kidney and liver function parameters and MSS markers and the possible association of mild renal or hepatic impairment with MSS measures. METHODS: We completed a prospective cross-sectional study of 257 consecutive women who underwent integrated MSS at a single hospital. Serum analytes (pregnancy associated plasma protein A [PAPP-A], hCG, creatinine [Cr], and alanine aminotransferase [ALT]) were drawn at approximately 12 weeks' gestation, and alpha-fetoprotein and unconjugated estriol were drawn at 16 weeks' gestation. Creatinine clearance was calculated using the Cockcroft-Gault formula. Abnormally elevated serum Cr and ALT were each defined as ≥ 90th percentile among all women. A low creatinine clearance (CrCl) was set at ≤ 10th percentile. RESULTS: Serum hCG, PAPP-A, and alpha-fetoprotein were negatively correlated with CrCl, but not after correction for maternal age, weight, and ethnicity. No association between MSS and serum ALT was observed. The median serum concentrations of both PAPP-A (P = 0.04) and alpha-fetoprotein (P = 0.02) were significantly higher among those whose CrCl was ≤ 10th percentile. At the more extreme concentrations of PAPP-A and alpha-fetoprotein, no significant association with a low CrCl or an elevated serum ALT was seen. CONCLUSIONS: Among a group of apparently healthy pregnant women, mild renal or hepatic impairment had little or no significant correlation with individual MSS markers. Further work should focus on the effect of more severe renal or hepatic dysfunction on MSS measures.