Background: Preeclampsia and eclampsia are vital causes of maternal morbidity and mortality around the world. In Egypt, it complicates about 6%-8% of all pregnancies and can reach up to 15% in referral centers like university hospitals.
Objectives: To identify the prevalence of preeclampsia and eclampsia among pregnant women attending Qena University Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, to identify possible risk factors associated with preeclampsia.
Patients and methods: The prevalence and risk factors for preeclampsia and eclampsia were estimated in this cross-sectional study of 300 pregnant women after 20 weeks of gestation. There were two groups: preeclamptic women and non-preeclamptic women. A structured questionnaire was used.
Results: The study revealed that the percentage of preeclampsia and eclampsia was 19% and 1%, respectively. The significant risk factors predisposing to preeclampsia were obesity, improper antenatal care, previous COVID-19 exposure, prior preeclampsia, cats' handling, pregestational diabetes mellitus, multifetal pregnancy, family history of hypertension, and advanced maternal age. By logistic regression analysis, BMI was the most contributing factor associated with preeclampsia (p- value <0.0001).
Conclusion: Preeclampsia became increasingly common during the COVID-19 pandemic, with preeclampsia and eclampsia prevalence rates of 19% and 1%, respectively. The most contributing factors to preeclampsia were obesity, which is a preventable risk factor, infrequent antenatal visits, and COVID-19 exposure.Proper antenatal care is an important part of prevention and early detection of preeclampsia, especially for women with previous COVID-19 exposure.