Early-onset preeclampsia and the prevalence of postpartum metabolic syndrome.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome postpartum in women with a history of pregnancy complicated by early-onset vascular disorders compared with women with late-onset disorders.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study 849 women with a history of pregnancy complicated by vascular disorders (preeclampsia; gestational hypertension; hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelets syndrome; eclampsia; placental abruption; fetal growth restriction; and stillbirth as a result of placental insufficiency) were divided into early-onset (delivery before 32 weeks of gestation, n=376) and late-onset (delivery at or beyond 32 weeks, n=473). By use of four internationally accepted criteria to diagnose metabolic syndrome, we compared its prevalence in both groups using odds ratios (ORs), adjusted for maternal age, smoking, alcohol and coffee consumption, birth weight centile, stillbirth, and interval between delivery and measurements.