Preeclampsia Case-Control Study in Iraq

This case-control study was conducted at the Women’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital in Karbala Governorate, Iraq, from April to May 2023. Sixty patients with PE have participated in this study. The criteria of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists were used for the diagnosis of definite PE [24 ]. Pregnant women were considered PE if they had a systolic blood pressure of 140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg after 20 weeks of gestation and proteinuria (They should have normal blood pressure before). In the present study, the patients followed these criteria, and all patients had positive proteinuria in the dipstick test. They were fasted overnight and treated with methyldopa (Aldomet^®). The gestational age was calculated from the last regular menstrual period, and the fundal height and ultrasound results were used for those women who could not remember their last menstrual period. Gravidity was recorded as the total number of pregnancies, including abortion, ectopic pregnancy, and any other pregnancies documented on the chart. Parity is defined as the number of deliveries after 28 weeks of gestation, including intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD) and stillbirth. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the Training and Human Development Center, Kerbala Health Department (Document number 585/2023), Kerbala, Iraq, which complies with the International Guideline for Human Research standards mandated by the Declaration of Helsinki.