Perfil clínico y epidemiológico de pacientes con preeclampsia atendidas en una clínica privada de Medellín, Colombia (2005-2010)

Preeclampsia is a syndrome that affects the cardiovascular, renal, and hepatic systems and is associated with increased maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Objective: To describe the epidemiological profile of patients with a diagnosis of preeclampsia who were treated in a private clinic in Medellin between 2005 and 2010. Methodology: We performed a descriptive and retrospective study that reviewed the medical records of patients treated for preeclampsia. The SPSS program was used for the statistical analysis. The means, standard deviation and ranges were calculated for quantitative variables. Proportions were calculated for qualitative variables. Results: A total of 707 women with a diagnosis of preeclampsia were studied. Among the most frequent characteristics were first pregnancy (50.3%), a history of hypertension (12.4%), and blood pressure at admission exceeding 140/90. mmHg (50.4%). The symptoms most frequently associated with preeclampsia were edema (56.2%) and headache (47.6%). Maternal complications consisted of HELLP (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelet count) syndrome in 10.9% and eclampsia (1.8%). A total of 38.7% of the neonates had low birth weight and 1.7% were stillborn. Conclusion: Preeclampsia was most common in patients with a first pregnancy. The main complication was HELLP syndrome, and eclampsia was rare. Therefore, strategies for early diagnosis and for the management of at-risk patients should be developed, thus avoiding the development of severe complications and maternal-fetal morbidity and mortality.