Neonatal outcomes of preterm infants born to preeclamptic mothers

Abstract

Objectives: Preeclampsia is a major cause of maternal, fetaland neonatal morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study wasto determine neonatal outcomes of premature infants born topreeclamptic mothers.Patients and Methods: Preterm infants ≤36 gestational agewho were born to preeclamptic mothers and normotensive motherswere included in this study. Infant’s data including demographiccharacteristics, neonatal morbidities and mortalities were evaluatedretrospectively.Results: Hundred and forty infants born to preeclampticmothers (study group) and 144 infants born to normotensivemothers (control group) were included. No statistical differencewas found between mean gestational age, birth weight, Apgarscores at 1 and 5 minutes, and in terms of sex ratio. Cesareandelivery, small gestational age and neutropenia rates were foundsignificantly higher in the study group. Other neonatal morbiditiessuch as necrotising enterocolitis and sepsis were also foundhigher in the study group but it was not statistically significant.Hospitalization and mortality rates were similar in both groups.Conclusions: Preeclampsia was associated with increasedcesarean delivery, small gestational age and neutropenia. Therewere no significant differences between other morbidities andmortality of two groups. We think that prematurity is the main riskfactor of morbidity and mortality regardless of concomitant.