BACKGROUND
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends low-dose aspirin for the prevention of preeclampsia among women at high risk for primary occurrence or recurrence of disease. Recommendations for the use of aspirin for preeclampsia prevention were issued by the USPSTF in September 2014.
OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the incidence of recurrent preeclampsia in our cohort before and after the USPSTF recommendation for aspirin for preeclampsia prevention.
STUDY DESIGN
This is a retrospective cohort study designed to evaluate rates of recurrent preeclampsia among women with a history of preeclampsia. We utilized a two hospital, single academic institution database from August 2011 through June 2016. We excluded multiple gestations and included only the first delivery for women with multiple deliveries during the study period. The cohort of women with a history of preeclampsia were divided into two groups, “before” and “after” the release of the USPSTF 2014 recommendations. Potential confounders were accounted for in multivariate analyses, and relative risk and adjusted relative risk were calculated.
RESULTS
17,256 deliveries occurred during the study period. A total of 417 women had a documented history of prior preeclampsia; 284 women “before” and 133 women “after” the USPSTF recommendation. Comparing the before and after groups, the proportion of Hispanic women in the after group was lower and the method of payment differed between the groups (P <.0001). The prevalence of type 1 diabetes was increased in the after period, but overall rates of pregestational diabetes were similar (6.3% before versus 5.3% after; P >.05). Risk factors for recurrent preeclampsia included maternal age >35 years (RR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.34–2.48), Medicaid insurance (RR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.15–3.78), type 1 diabetes (RR, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.37–3.33), and chronic hypertension (RR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.44–2.66). The risk of recurrent preeclampsia was decreased by 30% in the after group (adjusted relative risk (aRR), 0.70; 95% CI, 0.52- 0.95).
CONCLUSION
Rates of recurrent preeclampsia among women with a history of preeclampsia decreased by 30% after release of the USPSTF recommendation for aspirin for preeclampsia prevention. Future prospective studies should include direct measures of aspirin compliance, gestational age at initiation, and explore the influence of race and ethnicity on the efficacy of this primary prevention.