The non-traditional and familial risk factors for preeclampsia in the FINNPEC cohort

Abstract Background Considering the burden of preeclampsia (PE), it is important to understand better the underlying risk factors involved in its etiology. In this nationwide study, we studied the association of background factors with PE with an emphasis on socioeconomic factors, reproductive factors and health history enclosing the parents of pregnant women. Methods In the Finnish Genetics of Pre-eclampsia Consortium (FINNPEC) cohort participants filled in a questionnaire on background information including data on socioeconomic factors, health history and reproductive factors. The questionnaire data was available from 708 women with PE and 724 control women. Two different control groups, healthy controls with uncomplicated pregnancies (n=498) and all controls (n=724, including controls with uncomplicated pregnancies and pregnancy complications other than PE), were established. Background information among PE women and the two different control groups were compared. Results PE women had similar socioeconomic status and more often non-communicable diseases including type I diabetes, chronic hypertension and hyperlipidemia than the two control groups (p<0.05 for all). Depression was more common among PE women (11.4%) than among all controls (7.6%) (p=0.019). Subfertility (estimated by time to pregnancy) was more common among PE women (p=0.013 for healthy controls, p=0.019 for all controls). PE women had earlier menarche (p=0.001 for healthy controls, p=0.022 for all controls). Hypertension was more common in both parents of PE women (p<0.001), stroke in fathers (PE women 6.2 %, healthy controls 3.2 % (p=0.020) and all controls 3.5 % (p=0.022)) and diabetes in mothers (PE women 7.5 %, healthy controls 3.1 % (p=0.001) and all controls 4.3 % (p=0.012)). Mental disorders including depression were more common in mothers of PE women compared to controls (PE women 7.2 %, healthy controls 3.7 % (p=0.013) and all controls 3.9 % (p=0.007)). Conclusions In this Finnish nationwide FINNPEC cohort, PE women had similar socioeconomic status, more non-communicable diseases and depression, earlier menarche, more subfertility and more parental non-communicable diseases compared to controls. As a novel finding we found more mental disorders including depression in mothers of PE women.