The Influence Of Previous Abortions On Risk Of Hypertension In Pregnancy In Nulliparous Parturients

Abstract

Objective: Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy and abortions are common events in Nigeria. This study was designed to determine the influence of previous abortion on the risk of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy in nulliparous patients in our environment.
Method: A group of consecutive 508 nulliparous women were followed up from booking till delivery, history of previous abortion was obtained at baseline and the relationship between this and the risk of developing hypertension was examined by univariate analysis and logistic regression.
Results: The incidence of hypertension in pregnancy in this study was 20.6% overall. It was 16.1% and 23.7% among patients with a history of a previous abortion and those without a history of abortion respectively. In the age group categories, the highest incidence was among mothers less than 20 years of age (31.4%) and lowest (15%) in the age group of mothers between 26 and 30 years of age. The adjusted odds ratio for hypertension among those with history of previous abortion compared with those without, adjusting for all the other variables in this model was 0.62, showing a 38% reduction in odds with a positive history of previous abortion. Only the 26-30 years age group showed a significantly lower reduction in odds of hypertension compared to the less than 20 years group (P = 0.009). Family history of hypertension was not a significant predictor in the logistic regression model (P = 0.144, CI = 0.88 - 2.44).
Conclusion: History of previous abortion in nulliparous women reduces the risk of developing hypertensive disorders of pregnancy by 38%.